Trying to counter the fear and confusion surrounding Alzheimer’s disease, a local geriatrician worked Thursday to dispel common myths, including the false notion that the neurological condition isn’t fatal.
“Ronald Reagan would not have died from this if there was a cure,” said Dr. John Standridge, geriatrician and director of the geriatric fellowship program at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga.
Standridge spoke to dozens of caregivers and family members of people with Alzheimer’s, a degenerative neurological condition, during a free event at Erlanger Health System’s Probasco Auditorium.
Although breakthroughs may be on the horizon, available treatments do not stop the progression of Alzheimer’s, Standridge said. Still, multiple medications can temporarily slow the progression of the disease’s symptoms and keep a loved one out of a nursing home for up to 21 months longer, he said.
The lunch lecture was one of a few academic talks given this week in advance of the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual conference, which takes place today in Chattanooga.