Alzheimer’s Association seeks awareness by the community

Luncheon honors leaders in the fight



IMPORTANT TOPIC—Scientific speaker Dr. Rebecca Edelmayer, center, talks about the status of current research with Teresa Valko, chair of the Alzheimer’s Association Central Coast chapter board of directors. Celebrity chair Leeza Gibbons, right, moderated the discussion. The event took place during the organization’s second annual Your Brain Matters luncheon on May 10 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers

IMPORTANT TOPIC—Scientific speaker Dr. Rebecca Edelmayer, center, talks about the status of current research with Teresa Valko, chair of the Alzheimer’s Association Central Coast chapter board of directors. Celebrity chair Leeza Gibbons, right, moderated the discussion. The event took place during the organization’s second annual Your Brain Matters luncheon on May 10 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers

Former Westlake Village Mayor Doug Yarrow received an award that was appreciated—but not exactly welcome.

“This isn’t a club you want to join,” he said when accepting the Caregiver of the Year award at a luncheon put on by the Alzheimer’s Association’s Central Coast chapter May 10 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village. “Anybody who’s a caregiver knows that.”

Yarrow and his wife, Penny, were instrumental in bringing about the building of the new YMCA facility in Westlake Village, and the building bears their name: Yarrow Family YMCA.

Seven years ago Penny Yarrow was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Since then Doug Yarrow has established the Penelope Yarrow Alzheimer’s Research Fund at the Keck School of Medicine at USC.

“As far as Penny (is concerned), it’s been rough since Easter,” Doug Yarrow said at the luncheon. “She had a major decline, and she’s now in a hospice. (My sons) and I were shocked at first . . . but we’re going to get through it.”

GUESTS OF HONOR—Celebrity chair Leeza Gibbons and Caregiver of the Year Doug Yarrow at the second annual Your Brain Matters luncheon for the Alzheimer’s Association. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers

GUESTS OF HONOR—Celebrity chair Leeza Gibbons and Caregiver of the Year Doug Yarrow at the second annual Your Brain Matters luncheon for the Alzheimer’s Association. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers

The Central Coast chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization, hosted the lunch to share information on the disease and raise funds for research. Rhonda Spiegel, executive director of the chapter, said the organization has successfully lobbied the federal government to increase its funding for Alzheimer’s research. The United States now spends $2.3 billion on research, four times as much as it did in 2011.

“Today, 5.8 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease. In Ventura County, 14,000 have Alzheimer’s disease. We believe those numbers could as much as triple by the middle of the century,” Spiegel said. “Of those 5.8 million people, two-thirds are women. A woman at the age of 60 is twice as likely to get Alzheimer’s disease as she is to get breast cancer. In fact, Alzheimer’s disease kills twice as many people every year as breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.”

Spiegel said there are many reasons so many people are affected by the disease, but there are two main factors. The older a person is the more likely they are to develop the disease, and 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day. With advances in modern medicine, people are living much longer than they used to, leaving them more susceptible to the disease.

The event also featured a discussion with Teresa Valko, the chair of the Central Coast chapter’s board of directors, and Rebecca Edelmayer, the group’s director of scientific engagement.

The two discussed current research in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and what people can do to stave off the disease. The discussion was moderated by Leeza Gibbons, a talk show host and proponent of Alzheimer’s disease research.

Valko said proper diet and exercise are the best ways to decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. She spoke from personal experience—all of the women in her family have been diagnosed with the disease, so she’s doing everything she can to maintain her health. She said mental exercise is just as important as physical.

“Anything you can do to stimulate your brain, and stimulate your brain in a way that it’s building new pathways, learning new ways to use itself,” Valko said. “Doing the same thing over and over again in a routine isn’t challenging your brain. You have to purposely seek out new experiences to get your brain nice and robust and healthy. That’s what I’m doing.”

Attendee Zhena Muzyka, who lost two relatives to the disease, said the event was enlightening.

“I’ve been crying the whole time. It feels like Alzheimer’s, whatever it’s tied to, there’s got to be something in our water or something, because (the rate is) going up so fast. It’s shocking. It’s the cause of our time,” she said.

Follow Ian Bradley on Twitter @Ian_ reports.