“I keep powering through to show the true power of the mind,” he said. His intention is to convey the way his mind continues to work despite his body physically breaking down. Since 2019, he has performed the show three times.īy the fifth hour, Ingram has to super-glue his finger tips to be able to keep playing. Ingram, who performs all of his songs on his guitar from memory, decided to put on an extensive set for the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual fundraising event. Then came the idea for a 12-hour concert. “So there’s a personal responsibility I feel to do something for them.” “I can see the power that playing music has on folks who are suffering from dementia and early stage Alzheimer’s,” he said. Difficulty in speaking, swallowing and walking.The symptoms include:Īlzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of Dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 % of cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What is the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer’s?ĭementia is the general term for symptoms that display a severe decline in mental ability, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. “I remind myself, just because she passed away from a disease doesn’t mean I’m going to get it,” he said. He keeps a photo of her in his office, not only as a reminder of why he takes part in the research, but also to recognize his ability to take control and fight the disease. O’Bryant’s interest in Alzheimer’s research started during his graduate program at the University at Albany, when his grandmother was diagnosed with the disease. “There is so much awareness now,” he said. He says there are increasingly more services and organizations that provide social and medical support.
O’Bryant’s hope also comes from the abundance of resources in Tarrant County. Some of the preventative measures individuals can take include having a heart healthy diet, staying socially and physically active, stimulating the brain and monitoring blood related medical conditions that affect the brain. “No one is ever doomed to this disease,” he said. He wants people to pay attention to the other half of the risk that is controllable. He says, at most, 50% of someone’s risk for Alzheimer’s is genetic. O’Bryant has observed a common misconception that those genetically at risk for Alzheimer’s are a lost cause.
The Hispanic community, which makes up 30% of Tarrant County’s population, is expected to experience the single largest growth in Alzheimer’s patients over the next 20 years. In the same way, demographics are also contributing to the increase in cases. “This also means that there’s oftentimes larger health disparities because of poverty, because of access to health care and other social determinants that get in the way of access,” he said.
0 kommentar(er)
