Trish Vradenburg

Biography: I'm a playwright, author, television writer, and Alzheimer’s disease advocate. My husband George and I founded UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, with the goal of finding a cure or treatment for Alzheimer’s by the year 2020. I post here on the AARP blog every other Thursday.

Subscribe to this topic via: RSS Email

Trish Vradenburg 'sPosts

I Am the Alzheimer’s Party

Posted on 08/27/2012 by Trish Vradenburg | Before I Forget | Comments

Personal HealthThe Alzheimer’s Party. Haven’t heard of it? Well, you ought to familiarize yourself with it; there is an election in less than three months and our existence may well depend on it. Is Alzheimer’s an atom bomb that will destroy us? Well, in a way, yes. And this is our chance to disarm it. Together, those with Alzheimer’s and those who care for them are a party of 20 million strong. As the Alzheimer’s Party, we cannot be ignored. Are you older than …

Two Good men

Posted on 07/23/2012 by Trish Vradenburg | Before I Forget | Comments

Personal HealthIt’s easy to pick Sargent Shriver out of a picture. The rule of thumb is this: if ninety-nine people look solemn and there is only one person smiling, that person is inevitably Sargent Shriver. And if those people in the picture could come alive for, say, ten minutes, you could come back and find ninety-nine more people smiling. So what does he know that the others don’t? He knew how to embrace the joy of life. In short, he was …

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM

Posted on 07/3/2012 by Trish Vradenburg | Before I Forget | Comments

Personal HealthThis last weekend was my mom’s birthday. She would have been 100 years old. Or maybe 90. It was hard to tell with her. What my mom had told me when I was growing up was that she married at the young age of 18 – straight out of high school. I had no reason to doubt it since she was my mom and, of course, she told the truth. When my Uncle Irving, a mean spirited, bitter man, was at a family event he …

The New National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s: Exclusive Q&A with George Vradenburg

Posted on 05/29/2012 by Trish Vradenburg | Before I Forget | Comments

Personal HealthEditor’s note: Last week, the Obama Administration released its final National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s. This is the first-ever national plan and road map against Alzheimer’s, and it includes a bold goal of stopping the disease by 2025 — marking the first time the federal government has adopted such a time frame. Trish’s husband, George Vradenburg, Chairman of the national campaign organization USAgainstAlzheimer’s, is a member of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services, which was convened by HHS. The Council met over the past several months to offer input during the planning process, and provided the Administration and …

TEXAS IS BIG

Posted on 04/15/2012 by Trish Vradenburg | Before I Forget | Comments

Personal Health We’re on a crusade, and if it has the name Alzheimer’s attached to it, we’re there. Last week my husband, my BFF, Meryl Comer, and I went from DC to Big D, Dallas, Texas for the Alzheimer’s AWARE Luncheon. I have never been to Texas and it seemed to me like a long way to travel for chicken salad, but that just shows my ignorance about the big state. As it turned out, the whole event was elegant. The Stetsons were big (particularly …

Going It Alone

Posted on 03/29/2012 by Trish Vradenburg | Before I Forget | Comments

Personal HealthMarried people live longer and healthier lives. Consider this: nine out of ten married men who are alive at 48 will make it to 65-years-old (no, it will not just seem like it) as compared with six out of 10 of men who are not married. Women on the other hand are in better shape statistically. So be aware men; Marriage can save your life. Be grateful. I will be forwarding this to my husband. But not everyone agrees with …