Latest news with #Alzheimer's
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Eastern N.C. Alzheimer's Association hosts events for Brain Awareness Month
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — The Alzheimer's Association of Eastern North Carolina Chapter is offering several virtual and in-person events in June for Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month. 'Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month offers the perfect opportunity for North Carolina residents to take charge of their brain health,' said Christine John-Fuller, executive director, Alzheimer's Association – Eastern North Carolina Chapter. 'We want people to know there are steps they can take to keep their brains healthy. We also want to encourage anyone experiencing memory or thinking problems to talk to their doctor. There are many possible causes — and if it is Alzheimer's disease, there are numerous benefits to getting a timely diagnosis.' An Era of Hope: Virtual Community Awareness Summit | June 3 | 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. | live webinar Learn from inspiring speakers about the progress we have made in Alzheimer's diagnosis and treatment, and what it's like navigating a dementia diagnosis in this new era. Find out how we have more hope than ever before, and how you can be a part of it. Healthy Living for your Brain and Body | June 19 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | live webinar Science is helping us understand how to stay mentally and physically healthy as we get older. Learn how to eat well, stay active, keep your mind sharp, and connect with others to support healthy aging. 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's | June 23 | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. | live webinar Alzheimer's and other dementias cause memory, thinking and behavior problems that interfere with daily living. Learn how to recognize common signs of the disease; how to approach someone about memory concerns; the importance of early detection; possible tests and assessments for the diagnostic process, and Alzheimer's Association resources. The Longest Day: Fight the darkness of Alzheimer's on the day with the most light | June 20 During June, the Alzheimer's Association is also inviting North Carolina residents to participate in The Longest Day®. Held annually around the summer solstice, The Longest Day invites participants to fight the darkness of Alzheimer's through a fundraising activity of their choice. Throughout the month and culminating on the summer solstice, June 20, The Longest Day participants will use their creativity and passion to raise funds and awareness for the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer's Association. Participants bake, bike, hike, golf, knit, play bridge and take part in other favorite activities. Some examples of the more than 150 activities taking place across North Carolina for The Longest Day, including Greenville: Line Dance & Intergenerational Ice Cream Social | June 19 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Pitt Council on Aging, 4551 County Home Road, Greenville More programs and information can be found at or by calling 800.272.3900. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
12 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
Private equity bigwig shocks courtroom with Alzheimer's diagnosis during bombshell NYC divorce trial: ‘I'm a lowly business man'
A private equity CEO wrapped in a bruising divorce battle shocked a Manhattan courtroom this week when he suddenly announced he has Alzheimer's disease — potentially opening him up to regulator sanctions and shareholder lawsuits, experts said. John Foster, 83, managing partner of the $800 million private equity firm HealthPointCapital, made the stunning, unprompted admission in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday as he testified in his divorce case against his estranged wife of 15 years Stephanie Foster, 57. 'I'm a lowly business man,' said Foster, a longtime health devices bigwig who spent much of his testimony claiming he couldn't recall whether he had signed notarized documents or sworn affidavits. 5 John H. Foster, center, stunned a courtroom Wednesday when he announced a previously undisclosed Alzheimer's diagnosis. Steven Hirsch 'I'm 83-years-old — I have recently had an MRI, which is a brain scan for my Alzheimer's,' he suddenly added, divulging a previously-undisclosed illness. Experts said the revelation from Foster — who spent much of his testimony claiming he couldn't remember signing official documents — could potentially have serious legal consequences outside of his messy divorce. 'That may be material information that has to be disclosed under federal law and SEC regulations,' said securities fraud trial lawyer, Michael P. Bowen. Foster — who is currently under a no-contact order due to 'taunting' text messages he sent to his soon-to-be ex-wife last fall — also erupted in court Wednesday as he bemoaned the hourly rates charged by her attorneys. '$40,000 a day for this bulls—t,' he said loudly, as the lawyers spoke with the judge at the bench. His own apparently well-compensated lawyer, Linda Rosenthal — who has previously claimed her client has 'barely a positive net worth, if at all' — told him to zip it. 5 John Foster spent much of the day saying he could not recall basic things, like if he had signed notarized documents or his sworn affidavit. Steven Hirsch During what was his second day on the stand this week, Foster repeatedly answered 'I don't recall' in response to basic questions about if he remembered signing notarized documents, a statement of net worth, records of million-dollar deposits and his sworn affidavit. After answering yes when pressed by his wife's high-powered attorney Rita Glavin to confirm he had Alzheimer's, he later tried to qualify by saying: 'yes and I am being examined' for the disease when he got his MRI a week earlier. But when Glavin asked him to clarify an earlier statement about his diagnosis, Foster said he could not recall why he got an MRI, or what he had previously said in his testimony. 5 Wife Stephanie Foster has long claimed that her husband is hiding potentially hundreds of millions in a 'net worth strategy' to avoid a divorce payout. Steven Hirsch Bowen, who is not involved in the Foster case, said that while there's no clear line of when a duty to disclose is triggered, a diagnosis like Alzheimer's is one that could directly impact Foster's fund. 'An investor would want to know that information,' Bowen said, adding that the specifics are what matters in cases like this. 'It could lead to sanctions by the SEC, or to shareholder lawsuits,' he said, if Foster's condition was not properly disclosed. 5 Texts found by Stephanie Foster on John Foster's phone allegedly congratulating his lawyer for successfully hiding his wealth from her. Courtesy Stephanie Foster Foster told the court Wednesday that his company placed him on leave 'several weeks ago' due to 'other litigation not to do with this proceeding' — something he hadn't disclosed during his testimony the prior day. Healthpoint Capital still lists Foster as its first managing partner on their website. The company did not immediately respond to questions regarding Foster's current status of employment or when he last signed investor statements and other documentation on behalf of the firm. Glavin — who also reps ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the sexual harassment lawsuits he faces — peppered Foster about his wife's claim that he attempted to hide more than $6.3 million in income from her. Foster has previously claimed during the nearly four-year-long acrimonious separation that his wife's spending has left him destitute, but she claims to have discovered a text message that reveals a deliberate 'net-worth strategy' to hide his true assets. 5 Stephanie Foster, center, leaving the courthouse Wednesday with one of her lawyers, BriAnne Copp. Steven Hirsch When Glavin asked if he had been placed on leave because of the allegations he used company accounts to hide personal income from a business deal, Foster immediately clammed up. 'Judge, I think we should close for the day,' Foster said as he placed a pair of hearing-aided headphones on his head that he only wore occasionally during the day. 'I'm not up for it.' He then complained that his wife had too many lawyers, and he, too few. 'She has too many lawyers. It's three verses four,' he riffed. At other points, Foster had his head buried in his hands, or was too busy scrolling on his smartphone to respond to questions from Glavin as he sat in the witness stand. 'Mr. Foster, can you please put your phone down for a moment?' Glavin requested repeatedly. 'Do you think your testimony is important?' 'I'm not at liberty to discuss,' he said from the witness stand. 'Yes you are,' Glavin replied. 'You are under a subpoena.'
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Nightmares linked to higher dementia risk, study finds
People who have nightmares or sleepwalk are twice as likely to develop vascular dementia than those who sleep soundly, a study has found. Scientists have long known that serious sleep disorders increase the risk of neurodegenerative conditions, but the latest research has shed more light on the connection. Analysis of more than a million people's medical records has found individuals with sleep problems who have not been diagnosed with anything physically wrong are also at increased risk. So-called 'non-organic' sleep disorders which are not linked to a known physiological condition include night terrors, sleepwalking, nightmares, and forms of insomnia and hypersomnia. Sufferers from these disorders were found to be more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with vascular dementia in later life, and to be at 67 per cent higher risk of dementia and 68 per cent higher risk of Parkinson's disease. The study, led by Cardiff University, involved data from three biobanks containing the records of people in Britain and Finland. The research compared the subjects' sleeping patterns with their genes and their long-term health outcomes. 'By using biobank data, we had timestamped records of when people had sleep disorders, and exactly when they were subsequently diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease – rather than relying on self-reporting,' said Dr Emily Simmonds, one of the study authors and a bioinformatician at the UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University. 'Our results are compelling, indicating a clear increased risk of neurodegenerative disease following a sleep disorder, across three large biobank datasets.' The scientists found people often experienced sleep disorder symptoms up to 15 years before they started seeing symptoms of the neurodegenerative conditions. Kristin Levine, a study co-author from the US National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Centre for Alzheimer's and Related Dementias, said: 'One of the exciting things about identifying people at higher risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease 10-15 years before diagnosis, is that it gives us time to implement treatments that may delay or prevent development of disease.' A link was seen between sleep problems and the neurodegenerative diseases even in people whose genes put them at low risk, the study authors found. 'Perhaps most interestingly, this increased risk was occurring independently of genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, with sleep disorders almost 'compensating' for low genetic risk,' said Hampton Leonard from the NIH Centre, the study's co-leader. 'One would expect that if sleep disorders were caused by neurodegeneration, genetic risk of sleep disorder and neurodegenerative disease would line up. Further investigation is needed, but this points towards sleep disorders as a risk factor for these conditions.' The scientists hope future research will build on their findings, and investigate if any interventions that target sleep problems can improve the outlook for neurodegenerative conditions. The study is published in npj Dementia. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Aging, Slurring Trump ‘Lives in Fear' of Dad's Dementia
Donald Trump 'lives in fear' of suffering the same cognitive decline his father did, according to a brutal assessment by an MSNBC guest. The Weekend: Primetime welcomed Timothy L. O'Brien, senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion, to discuss Trump's musings about a third term in office. The political analyst, speaking on the second installment of the show after its debut on Saturday, said the president's motivation has always been either 'self-aggrandizement' or 'self-preservation.' O'Brien added, however, that he doesn't believe Trump will actually run again—even though he'd 'love to live until he's 300.' 'And I think he'd like to be president for 200 more years if he could,' O'Brien quipped. However, the 78-year-old's vitality has visibly waned and he is acutely aware of his mortality, the panelist added. 'As I was watching that clip, you know, one of the things that really struck me is, Donald Trump has aged,' he said. 'When people talk about the things that are going to get in the way of a third term for Donald Trump, obviously, it's voters. Obviously, it's the 22nd Amendment. But he's turning 79 in June.' Despite Trump's musings, the amendment prohibits anyone who has been elected twice from being elected again. Age and his family's track record with brain disease should be his primary concern though, O'Brien suggested. 'He lives in fear of going down the path his father went down, which was dementia, followed by Alzheimer's, into his 90s. And I think he's carried that burden forever,' the journalist added. Fred Trump, a real estate developer, died of both pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease at age 93 in 1999. This was eight years after his first formal diagnosis of dementia. He retained his title of chairman of the board of Trump Management even after the diagnosis. He also continued to come into work, according to family friend and business associate Richard Levy. 'He came in the office every day until the day he went to the hospital,' he said after Fred Trump's passing. Trump junior reportedly avoids talking about the touchy subject, partly because he bashed his predecessor Joe Biden for allegedly being cognitively impaired, but also because he fears this could be his fate too, O'Brien said. 'Watching how he answers questions now compared to Trump 1.0, he slurs his words a little, he looks weary, he is slouched. And I don't know how much authentic enthusiasm he has for the power and the office he holds, other than the fact that it keeps him out of jail and it keeps him center stage,' he added. Donald Trump's nephew Fred C. Trump III said last year that he fears a similar path for the president. 'Like anyone else, I've seen his decline. But I see it in parallel with the way my grandfather's decline was,' Fred, 61, told People. 'If anyone wants to believe that dementia did not run in the Trump family, it's just not true.'
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump Shows Signs of ‘Cognitive Decline' Says Speech Expert
Donald Trump's rambling speeches and stream-of-consciousness press briefings could be symptoms of his 'cognitive decline,' according to one of America's top rhetoric experts. The warning comes as Trump and his aides are seeking a congressional probe into Joe Biden's mental state during his one-term presidency. The extent to which Biden, now 82, hid his capability has led to major questions over whether he was fit to lead the country. Now, Trump, who was the oldest president to be inaugurated at the age of 78 and seven months in January, is facing scrutiny over his position as the most powerful man on the planet. His father, Fred, was reportedly diagnosed with dementia in the early 1990s and died of pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease at age 93 in 1999. Dr. Jennifer R. Mercieca, professor of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University, told the Daily Beast that the president's communication patterns could be a cause for concern. 'His lack of focus makes it seem as though he's experiencing cognitive decline, that his brain is not well-disciplined, and he's unable to maintain a thought and carry it through to a logical conclusion,' she said. Dr. Mercieca, the author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump, is an expert on speeches and rhetorical strategy. She said that while she's not a speech pathologist or an expert on ageing, she understands how an audience might easily become confused by the way he talks. 'Trump sees himself as someone who is unscripted and not teleprompter,' she added. 'He likes to brand himself as a 'truthteller' who can and will say anything that comes to mind. 'Unfortunately, that makes his speeches difficult to follow as he digresses from thought to thought—seemingly connecting ideas at random.' The president's April 11 annual physical, carried out by his physician Sean Barbabella, found him to be in 'excellent health.' 'President Trump's days include participation in multiple meetings, public appearances, press availability, and frequent victories in golf events,' Barbabella said in his report. 'President Trump exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.' The physician also gave Trump a perfect score for his mental health, claiming: 'Cognitive function, assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), was normal with a score of 30 out of 30.' But in recent public appearances, Trump has shocked audiences with sudden changes of subject and repeated topics and claims. He continually brings up Biden's alleged cognitive decline while in the Oval Office, blames the previous administration for the nation's ills, and goes back to his favorite issues like the price of eggs, the dangers represented by undocumented immigrants, and DEI time and time again. In a speech on Saturday at the prestigious West Point military academy, the president took credit for boosting recruitment and thanked parents for attending, which would be in line with most expectations. But during the nearly hour-long speech, Trump also strayed to say the forces should not 'host drag shows', there would be no teaching of critical race theory, he insisted that men playing women's sports would no longer be permitted, and claimed he was investigated 'more than the great, late Alphonse Capone.' Going off on a tangent, he continued: 'Alphonse Capone was a monster, he was a very hardened criminal. I went through more investigations than Alphonse Capone, and now I'm talking to you as president, can you believe this?' (This isn't true—Trump was indicted four times, and Capone was indicted six times). Even more bizarrely, the president told graduates not to marry 'trophy wives.' In December, Trump said that while his ramblings may appear incoherent, they were 'genius.' 'I do the weave,' he explained. 'You know what the weave is? I'll talk about, like, nine different things that they all come back brilliantly together. And it's like friends of mine that are like English professors, they say: 'It's the most brilliant thing I've ever seen.'' 'But the fake news, you know what they say, 'He rambled.' It's not rambling. What you do is you get off a subject to mention another little titbit, then you get back on to the subject, and you go through this and you do it for two hours, and you don't even mispronounce one word.' His explanation came after his 'weave' involved linking the cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter with his immigration policies. At one rally, reported The Guardian, he described the 'late, great Hannibal Lecter' as 'a wonderful man.' While the price of eggs coming down has been a recent topic, before his inauguration, he claimed that the price of wind power had driven up inflation so that people weren't buying bacon. 'You make a speech, and my speeches last a long time because of the weave, you know, I mean, I weave stories into it,' Trump told podcaster Joe Rogan. 'If you don't, if you just read a teleprompter, nobody's going to be very excited. You've got to weave it out. So you, but you always have to, as you say, you always have to get right back to work. Otherwise, it's no good. But the weave is very, very important. Very few weavers around. But it's a big strain on your, you know, it's a big, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work.' Dr. Mercieca said the idea of the 'weave' was an attempt to deflect criticism. 'In order to counter the perception that these digressions are actually a strategy, Trump has branded his speaking style 'the weave' and claims that experts in rhetoric believe it's a good way to communicate,' she told the Beast. 'It's not a good or effective way to communicate. It shows a lack of discipline and control,' added the award-winning historian of American political rhetoric and rhetorical analyst. A White House spokesperson claimed the university professor suffered from 'Trump derangement syndrome' and insisted: 'President Trump is the most accessible and transparent president in history–constantly showing off his impeccable mental and physical health." However, the American public doesn't appear to be convinced by Trump's assurances about his robust health. A YouGov/Economist poll, conducted last week, found that 45 percent felt Trump had been 'not at all' or 'not very' transparent about his health. The poll also found that 31 percent believed Trump's age and health severely affected his ability as president.
