By Jim Servin
A breakthrough blood test, recently approved by the FDA, now allows individuals to determine if they are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s and dementia, and paves the way for preemptive, proactive care at levels never seen before. “You’re going to be in the driver’s seat of how the disease will progress. Where do you go once you have this information? That’s where CaringKind comes in,” says Eleonora Tornatore-Mikesh, president and CEO of the New York City-based nonprofit. CaringKind is a free service that offers lifestyle intervention, cutting-edge scientific information “and just being connected to a community,” says Tornatore-Mikesh, “so that you can live your best life.”
Staffed with 54 dementia experts, CaringKind’s extensive programs include dementia consultation and coaching services for individuals and families, care partner education, instruction for professionals on the special needs of people with dementia and their families, support groups in multiple languages, virtually and in person, occupational therapy, music and art therapy, and much more.
The biggest challenge to the newly diagnosed and their families is stigma, says Tornatore-Mikesh. “Just as with cancer and AIDS, people don’t want to talk about Alzheimer’s. They think it’s a psychiatric disease. It’s not. It’s a brain disease, very much like Parkinson’s and MS affect the brain. Don’t let stigma get in the way of intervention. And intervention starts with calling CaringKind.”
Thanks to the new blood test, an early alert will allow all affected to mobilize support. Of critical importance is the role lifestyle plays in the disease’s progression, especially if diagnosed in its early stages: “Forty percent can be curtailed by lifestyle changes,” says Tornatore-Mikesh. These include addressing contributing factors such as obesity and social isolation. Adhering to a low-sugar, high-protein diet is critical. “Alzheimer’s has been called a type of diabetes,” says Tornatore-Mikesh. “A Mediterranean diet is something that we promote. Just staying engaged and being active is a game changer.”
Born in Sicily, Tornatore-Mikesh, who has served as president and CEO of Caring Kind for five years, and before that, was CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Connecticut chapter for seven-and-a-half years, says that her key wellness activity is an annual three-week trip every August back to her mother country, where she owns a home. There, she unplugs from social media and finds unexpected pleasure in simple things: “I enjoy hanging my laundry. I take long walks, go to the market, and of course, eat a Mediterranean diet.”
If you or someone in your family would benefit from CaringKind’s resources, call 646.744.2900. caringkindnyc.org