this is cbs news bay area with elizabeth cook . i felt like i alone in all of this. >> is millions of u.s. adults deal with alzheimer's, a new report looks at the challenges facing their caregivers. >> where to start, how to find the right doctor, understanding the disease. how can i make my way through this very complex system? >> it can take a huge mental and emotional toll. today, we look at how to help those who are helping their loved ones every day. we also look at new bay

area research into what could be an early sign of alzheimer's and learn how finding it sooner rather than later could be life-changing. >> when you know something, it is powerful. >> hi. thank you for joining us this afternoon. i'm elizabeth cook. we know the told can take on a patient . today, we look at the research into how it affects the givers and how ucsf researchers are phoning on one underdiagnosed syndrome bleed to a diagnosis much sooner. first, let's look at today's news headlines with anne makovec. new information at that shooting at a pleasant hill condo complex. police say it all started when thieves tried to rob a delivery driver. investigators say 63-year-old peter popovich was dropping off packing materials to can abridge distributors when two men targeted him. both sides exchanged gunfire. popovich and one other suspect, trevon

davis, were both killed. police say at least one other suspect took off . they are still searching for that person. investigators say popovich had a concealed carry permit and used his own gun during the shootout. police in san jose asking potential victims to come forward after hidden camera was found in the bathroom of a starbucks on coleman avenue. investigators say the small camera was found under the sink in the women's restroom. they say there are 91 victims with ages ranging from as young as four up to 85 years old. louie juarez has been arrested and charged with a host of crimes including possession of child . police say they also found more than a dozen guns including two ar 15 style rifles in his home . starbucks is calling this a deeply disturbing incident. they say they cannot understate the importance of providing a safe environment for their customers, partners and

employees. san francisco starting to install 400 new license plate readers at 100 different intersections throughout the city. this follows the passage of prop e earlier this month. mayor london breed says that cameras are another tool the city can use to crack down on car break-ins, thefts, and sideshows. >> automated license plate readers can play an and valuable role in helping us to track some of the perpetrators of these crimes and hold them accountable. >> separately, san francisco was planning to install feed cameras at 33 locations by early next year. just two boats separating evan low and joe simitian in the race to replace congresswoman anna eshoo. 32,000 . the votes are still being counted. many of them are contested ballots. the winner between the two will face former san jose mayor sam liccardo in the november election. saint mary's on the road . the men's basketball team is on route to washington state right now for the first round of the tournament. the gaels or

the fifth seed in the west division. they will take on the 12th seed grand canyon in spokane. fans seeing the team off this afternoon cannot wait to see them in the big dance. >> we might not have a big league like s.e.c. but definitely can play. this first game will be tough but i think it will be interesting. hopefully we can go to a sweet 16 again. that would be ideal. >> the stanford women will be representing the bay area in the tournament. the two seed will play norfolk state on friday at maples pavilion. if you think you know which teams will come out on top and march madness, join our team. be a part of the march madness bracket challenge . today is the last day to sign up and make those picks. you can play against vern, liz, sarah and compare your score with hours. if you beat us, we might put you live on the air. >> that got interesting. $1000 on the line. thank you.

on2 first alert weather now. blue skies and sunshine. enjoy it while it lasts. meteorologist darren peck is tracking big changes in our forecast. >> rain is coming back and it is getting here on friday. this will be a big turnaround because so many people have been enjoying the break from winter for the last few days. heads up, we are going back into winter. if we look at the big picture, we don't even see the system. if we put it into futurecast, it is able to resolve it. that is what will pull in rain over a three-day period. it sounds more dramatic than it needs to be. it will come over three days. friday being the first day, more noticeable and impressive. that is the line where the cold front comes through. the reason why this goes for three days is because the center of the system takes its time spinning through with isolated scattered

showers. we are coming in for a closer view. we will timeout the two different characters to this. this is the first day with friday rain. look at the time. we are looking at friday morning. this does not really start until we get into the late hours of the morning and the early afternoon. around noon on friday the wind begins, gets down to the golden gate. this is not terribly intense. we are not concerned about flooding from this. it is not a hugely impactful storm. it will be rain and it will be cooler and it will stick around for a little bit . friday gets the cold front. you get a quick little burst of rain that comes through and then there will be more time on friday when you are not getting rained on then when you are. you could say that about all three days. saturday and sunday will be somewhat different than friday because as we let this play forward to take us into saturday, we will see a very familiar pattern. it is not that organized line coming

through. saturday afternoon, isolated showers with the occasional thunderstorm mixed in. the caveat to that, if you happen to get one of those thunderstorms over the bay saturday afternoon and evening, you get a brief downpour. sunday has the same chance. we are not done with this thing until we finish sunday . if we look at rainfall totals for the few days, the numbers are respectable. we are looking at 3/4 inch of rain in general. the coast gets a little more. because this is spread out over three days, this is not an overly significant rain event. you do have to re-gear your thinking because we have been having a wonderfully glorious start to spring and winter is coming back . look at what this will do in the sierra. not only does this put down a foot and a half of snow up in higher elevations but this will bring snow level down to around 4000 feet which is better than most storms have been able to do. we

did have some impressive ones over the last few weeks but most storms before that could not get the snow level down. any travel in the sierra, you have to take this into consideration. it will very much be winter on i-80 until we get to monday. just make sure you let anybody know who has to travel in the mountains that they will need chains and winter is coming back. there is a messy scenario. here is the friday rain . saturday and sunday, on-again and off-again scattered showers. that could even get delayed into monday. i am optimistic that we can take rain out because that is a second system coming our way. back to you. a new study is out today focusing on alzheimer's and its effects day in and day out on the family members and friends who care for people living with the disease. nearly 7 million adults over the age of 65 have alzheimer's and

dementia in the united states. according to the alzheimer's association here in california, the number is over 700,000 and there are 1.3 million caregivers . the latest report from the alzheimer's association fines caregivers are facing increasing stress . the top five stressors are cost, coordinating with multiple doctors, securing appointments and getting help taking a break and finding appropriate doctors. >> where to start, how to find the right doctor, understanding the disease. how can i make my way through this very complex system? >> get your family involved, get your friends involved. >> when you think of alzheimer's disease, memory loss and dementia are the most common symptoms but now doctors are studying a bizarre, often underdiagnosed syndrome that impacts how a person sees and it is often an early sign of

alzheimer's. >> susan and charles stewart will never forget when they first met. she was on vacation visiting from england. he was a friend of a friend. it was love at first sight. four months later, that first date became forever. >> we spent three weeks together and we have been married now for 54 years. >> the secret to their successful marriage may be savoring life's simpler moments. >> we walk. we do things together in the kitchen. >> one of the ways we get through this is we do a lot together. >> a few years ago, charles was playing one of his favorite games, dominoes. >> i could not sequence anything. i did not realize it was because i was not seeing --

i was seeing double or i was not seeing the numbers. >> they went to several doctors but none of them could identify what was going on. >> i remember getting the mri results and charles coming in and saying it is normal. this was in the summer of 2020. i was thinking, normal? i am really surprised. >> they finally went to a neurologist and the tests told a different story. >> when they showed us the scans, it lit up like a christmas tree. >> charles was diagnosed with posterior vertical atrophy, a condition that impacts what his brain tells his eyes to see. it is an underdiagnosed symptom that is often the first sign of alzheimer's disease. >> patients who have this atrophy, one of the main issues is to get the proper diagnosis especially at an early-stage. what happens is they get to see

their general practitioner, they get iici doctors who don't understand what is going on because dye itself is totally fine. usually there is a delay diagnosis. >> marianne and renaldo at ucsf led the first large-scale study of pca. they found that 94% of patients with pca had alzheimer's pathology. >> when you think about algorithms, you think of someone who is in their 70s or 80s, has slowly progressive memory deficit. we are particularly interested in those pieces that present in a different way. >> for charles and susan, getting that diagnosis was a relief. >> when you know something, it is powerful. >> the actual waiting for a diagnosis is much worse than the diagnosis itself. >> charles is participating in

clinical trials so doctors can better understand this complicated disease but he also has something special that does not come in the form of a drug. >> it is a gift because it focuses you on trying to make your life and the lives of other people better. >> his attitude is fantastic. he is very helpful. he is very kind. it is kind of like living with a 77-year-old who does not remember things very well at this point. we do realize it is a progressive disease and they will get worse. >> he also has a partnership that has proven it can weather any storm in sickness and in health. >> pca occurs in 10% of alzheimer's patients but until now, it has been excluded from clinical trials. 94% of pca

patients have alzheimer's disease. to put that into perspective, 70% of patients with dementia or memory loss are actually diagnosed with alzheimer's. we all know the alzheimer's diagnosis puts the focus on the patient but what about the people caring for them every day? a representative from the alzheimer's association joins me live to talk about the support caregivers need right alongside their loved

today, we take a deeper dive into how alzheimer's disease affect's not only the person with the condition but also their caregivers. a new study from the alzheimer's association shows in california, 61% of alzheimer's caregivers reported at least one chronic condition themselves. more than 18% reported depression and 13% reported frequent , poor physical health. joining me live now is claire date, the chief program officer from northern california and northern nevada chapter. thank you so much for joining us. >> we know that an alzheimer's diagnosis is devastating for the patient but it is also difficult for the caregiver.

not only are they preparing for this long goodbye, as they call it, but they also know it will be an uphill battle caring for this individual. what kind of unique challenges do caregiver pace when a loved one is diagnosed with this? >> alzheimer's disease and other dementia, they are progressive. they will change over time. we will see the needs of that person change over time as well. they are unique challenges for alzheimer's . one of the things that we think about is that these are adults whose behaviors and memories and abilities change. it is important for caregivers to be cognizant of that as they are going to provide assistance. it is not a child although it feels childlike. the dynamic of that changes as well when the caregiver has to be open to all of the potential deficits that might be coming along the way. it is very frustrating. again, there was no blueprint for it. there is no way to

predict the progression that the disease takes and what that caregiver will base. >> it can be overwhelming mentally, physically. there was another aspect of it, financially. there are better treatments. there are earlier diagnosis that can make someone living with alzheimer's better but that means they are living longer and the cost that comes with it can be exorbitant. what kind of resources are available to caregivers when it comes to paying for the treatment? >> we are an aging nation to begin with. we are fixing things like cardiovascular disease which is making us live longer. the real lifetime issues around these financial costs is exorbitant . there are some support services out there. there are some programs. there are some organizations that can provide that help. one of the challenges is that alzheimer's disease are considered to be custodial care. they are not covered by medicare. they would only be covered by medi-cal ifthe

person sends down all of their money. it is important to look for county resources, to look for organizations and other community-based organizations that might be offering financial assistance to paper caregiving and to pay for some of those services as well. it also means some preplanning. look at the financial planning opportunities to really know what you have so that you can think about what you need for the next five to 10 years. >> it is so helpful to know that there are resources out there. >> let's go back to your study that shows that so many of the caregivers have their own physical and emotional issues that they are also dealing with while they are caring for somebody with alzheimer's. what kind of resources are available to them to help them get help? >> the caregiver is our biggest concern because they are so focused on the person with dementia that they often miss their own doctors appointments. make sure you go for your

annual physical. make sure that you are thinking about your own physical health. think about taking a respite, not just to do things like going to the grocery store but plan that time where you would be able to get a true break and think about who you can involve, whether it is friends or families who can help with some of these tasks. it is hard to let go of those responsibilities as a caregiver but it is important for people to do that. look for services like support groups and educational programs and even our helpline that can help you create a plan for yourself. >> we will mention that helpline at the end of this segment. there could be people at home who are watching where maybe they themselves are not a caregiver but their loved one is. maybe the parent is caring for their parent. can people outside of that unit help a caregiver who may really need it? >> it is really important that we start talking about alzheimer's and dementia and we start talking about the

needs of these caregivers. don't be afraid to reach out and say, i just want to check in on you and see how i can help you. the other piece that goes along with it is what can we be doing to increase -- decrease our own risk of dementia like eating right or exercising, the one no one wants to talk about. it does help your well-being as well. providing those opportunities for caregivers to get a break, even if it is to go out for a walk in the sunshine. >> just check in. so often you are wondering how the patient is doing but you need to be checking in on the person caring for them. >> absolutely. >> thank you so much. the alzheimer's association has a 24/7 helpline that we mentioned a few minutes ago that can answer your questions and connect you to valuable resources. it is one 800-2723 nine we will be right

back.

we know about the challenges that alzheimer's disease brings for patients and caregivers but it is a tough subject to talk about with kids. now, the alzheimer's foundation of america has a new tool to help. it is a book called gardening with grandma. it is to help readers understand what is happening or why their loved one is behaving a certain way and it provides tips on how to provide questions and an age-appropriate way. the book is available in english and spanish and all the

thank you for joining us here at 3:00 for our in-depth look at alzheimer's disease which impacts so many and the conditions' impact on caregivers. we invite you to share your thoughts on social media . the cbs evening news is next. local news continues on our streaming service, cbs news bay area. i will see you ♪ ♪ >> we really don't know what it's going to look like. >> norah: tonight confusion at