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i'm pat lawson muse. the number of americans living with alzheimer's is growind growing fast. an estimated 5.7 million people of all ages have it. of ten imated one out people over the age of 65 has alzheims dementia. joining us this morning to talk outhe disease and the progress in fighting the disease are two people whonow firsthand the impact of early ons t alzheimer's. welcome to prince george's county executive baker and his
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daughter asia baker. thank you for being with us. >> thank you for h ming us, pat. y in prince george's county and around the washington region know your family's story. your be loved wife krista was diagnosed with early onset dementia in 2010 when she was just 48 years old. that was a big year for you and it was big blow for your family, wasn'tit? it really was. nlywas the beginning of not the campaign to become county executive, i actually became county executive. r family started this journey along with my wife down this road. we didn't know anything about -- i knew nothing about alzheimer's other than my wife donated money to the organization. it completely changed our life >>asia, you were telling me before we started our conversation here that you were starting to see things that didn't make llsense. s some of the highlights there. >> my mother was always sharp as
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a tack. >> civil rights >>attorney. yes, civil rights attorney. really quick on her feet all the otime. on the things i personally noticed because i was the biggest troublemaker. i was starting to get away things that normally i would have been argued and investigated down for. mom, can i go out somewhere. she'd be like, sure. ay, i'm just going to run with that. normally it would be where are you goin who a you going with? i want the phone number? malling ahead. it was a lot of really small things that would eventually get bigger told me she wasn't on her normal game. >> how is she doing now? >> she's doing good. everything considering, she doesn't have the ability to speak or walk anymore, but she looks great. we just had a checkup yesterday. we're very blowsed as a family to haveer with us and to know she understands when we're talking to her and taking care
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of her. >> a, tell u what it's been like for you and your brothers and your s sisters your mom suffer from this, fight it and slowly slip. aw >> you know, it is difficult. i can't say that it's not. buts a lot of the thi we do as a family, and especially amongst my other, sister and i, we really noticed how close we've all gotten becausef it and how we've come together to take care of her. i think that is the thing that andwould be most proud of she would be most happy about because the three of us are best friends. we literally do everything together. we work together to make sure she's happy and comfortable. that's all we could ask for. she was the most amazing parent ever. the times that we did have with her, we treasure them and we want to work and stay togethe as a family unit to always keep her memory and everything she taught us alive. >> rushn, it's a challenge for
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the family, the care taking. you' a public official, a public figure, how has it been managing allf that and having to ensure that she's cared for and that she stays connected to you and to the kids? >> we're blessed.ma i haveng children who have been there, amazing support system. i tel people, you know, my wife has been teaching me since she was 1 and i w 19 and we met each other at howard university. she still teaches me. i come home and tell her abo what i doing as county executive, the frustration, the challenges. and inow her so well that i can hear her talking back to me. so it's a challenge. it is a challenge, one that reminds me every day that i go to work that there are a lot of people in my situation have the support system i have, and i have an opportunity to make their lives better. ur you've taken your challenge
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andd it into advocacy. there's so many people who have been inspired by and strengthened by and encouraged by your story. >> we're really pleased. thent c has been amazing. prince george's has stepped up to the plate, working with the alzheimer's association to bring a chapter to prince george's county, to put together a walk to raise ney, to raise awareness, to make the county a dementia friendly county and o of the few in the united states. and so this is part of, as a family, what we've dedicated our lives to because that's what my wife would do. >> we're going to take a break and we'll continue talking with the bakers about alzheimer's. we'll tell you some things that you may need well.w about it as
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i put criminals in prison during the day i'm jennifer wexton, and as a prosecutor, and changed diapers at night. later, when i had a law practice, i volunteered to help moms collect child support. then, as state senator, i worked across party lines to target sexual offenders and take guns away from domestic abusers. in congress, i'll stand up to president trump. i approve this message because, like every working mom, what's ahead is as important as what's in the rearview mirror.
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we're talking with prince george's county executive rushern baker and his daughter aja about alzheimer's which has affected their family. your family may be affected. the baker family has become very involved in the fight against alzheimer's. one of the events you take part in every year is the walk, the walkoming upn the 29th of september at national harbor. you've been doing this for a whilnow. >> we have.
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as a family we went public with my wife's diagnosis, we've participated in the walk. in the beginning it was ind.c. now we've moved the walk to --e prince geocounty has its own walk where we're raising money and awareness which is son impo we're excited as a family to have the fifth year of the walk being in prince george's county and raising money for it. >> aja, you have your own team. what's your team name? >> what's our team name? >> the baker bunch. >> the baker bunch. i hav my champion shirt. we love doing the walk. it's a cool wayo gett, and you meet so many people who are going through similar things. lot of people areble to bring out some people dealing with alzheimer which is really exciting, and to be able to meet other families going through w similar thing really cool. >> the walk happens september 29th at national harbor. what's the goal andow much
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have you raise sod f far? >> the goal is to raise $190,000. last year we raised $150,000. wealr aboutay to that point. we want everyone to sign up and help us raise money and awareness. we also want people to know that they can give throughout the yearment we've done various fund-raising as a family, where we have tattoos to raise money. my birthday is going to be about raisin money for alzheimer's. we want people to come out to the walk and to know that there is a support system. >> you mentioned tattoos. you both got these not terribly long ago, a few years back? >> about two years ago. the whole family. >> why was it so important for you to get those, a? >> it's funny. actually, it wasy idea. i was like, we should all getim the alz's tattoo.
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my dad was like, we should turn it into a fund-raiser. we decided to get the alzh because it's had suc permanent affect on our lives and the person that we all are today and who we are asy a fa it's something that has made us all stronger, and i want to always remember my mom and remember her struggle and remember our suggle as a mily. i thought it would be a family. we thought it would be a coo idea, if they want to see my dad get a tattoo and give money, it's all good all arou. >> you cou have -- a man in your position, person in your position,sould have kept t private. >> yeah. >> you decided to go public. that's meant a lot to you. tell us why and the impact that that's had? >> it really has. i have to admit i didn't want to go public. it was talki to the children, to the family who said, you know what dad? we're proud of mom, proud of
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what she's done. if we n't people, we can't advocate or tell her story. it just opened my eyes that, if i'm going through this, there are a lot of folks going through it. and maybe we can be a example. it's been a blessing in o life. >> do people ask you for advice? >> they do. i t to be as honest as possible. i tell them about the mistakesde from the beginning. not preparing our family for the fact that our life was going to change, and change daily. when leave my house in the morning, i don't know what the condition is when i come back at night. i wish irepared my family better for it and i tell them that, and prepared us. butecause there are places like the alzheimer's association where you can g advice, i think the biggest thing is letting yourself be willing to ask for help. >> aja, howan people join your team? >> i believe we have a link
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wherehey can sign up and donate. >> on the alzheimer's website n ere's a link with our team there. there's plenty of time to sign up, and we're taking donations. we want everyone to come out and walk with us. >> what's the last thought you want to leave with us about your battle? >> i would say probably the most important thing is that we all need to arm ourselves with knowledge. that's the best thingou can do. you'll never be fully prepared. but if you have the knowledge and you know what to look for in the signs and just having a starting off point which is a od thing about the walk because it brings awareness and it let's people know there is place to go where n get resources. that's the most important thing. you'll never bearully pr, but having as much knowledge as you can about how your life may chge or what a the signs makes all the difference. >> i'm sure it does. we know you're advocacy and openness about your own family's
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experience has been a source of inspiratio to so many families. thank you for being with us today. go team baker. >> thank you. >> and wed ext our very best and our prayers to krista. we know you're takingood care of her. thank you so much, rushern baker andaja baker. next, more on the walks taking place in the we come and themportance of the efforts to find a cure for as. we'll be r
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we t earlier with county executive baker about the baker fun bunhe team and walk at national harbor on the 29th of september. how many other walks will there be in the area? >> 27 walks. we still have six walks to go, so now through the end of october the prince george's county walk is the 29 th of september, and it is at the national harbor. one of our largest walks is in washington, d.c. at e natio ll on october 13. >> another big one coming up. what's the purpose of multiple walks in so many local communit versus havst one b like some other associations do? >> sure. the national capital area chapter covers northern in vi, southern and suburb maryland as well as the district. t to make sure that we can include as many of our community
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as possible. we try toake it available across the dmd. that's the rean to have the ssven. >> jane, youriation is the world's largest non-pr funder of alzheimer's research. there's a lot happening, a lot going on. t some of the most recent research and tell us where the focs on dealing with this disease. >> through the years, the focus really didn't start finding where the disease starts from. and i thi we were looking at the end product of the disease. we would recognize people who had alzheimer's when the symptoms showed up, wh impairment was so obvious, that we would notice people had a e research is now beginning to look at the bio markers, what causes it and understanding that before somebod actually shows
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the signs and symptoms, they probably have the diseasen at work their body for about 20 years. so we're hoping to get early t diagnosi find when people have the beginning biork s. we need to identify those bio markers and find out early in the game before the dementia comes and before the cognitive impairment affects the people to the point where we just really don't have a scure. the signs and bio markers are indicators that would be apparent to medical professionals, not something that a potential might? >> right, right. the bio markers would be -- the proteins would be maybe a blood test that we don't have, maybe an indicator in the cerebral spinal fluid that we would like for, some of the this that would indicate somebody might be at greater risk.
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if h they a grandparent who had alzheimer's, a rent had alzheimer's, a sibling might have alzheimer's, that individual might be at a great risk. knowing if you are at risk or finding out when somebody mig be at risk based on bio markers and aing the research in that direction. >> so being able to predict who might alzheimer's represents an advancehe in research of this mysterious disease. >> it really is mysterious, and it has been for a long time but like every disease, every disease does have a cause a we st need to find it. so looking in various aspec of a person's life, along their lifeline, may be backing up a little bit and doing research, clinal studies involving younger people and involving peoplere that willing to be
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part of a clinical study. nicelzheimer's has a program called trial match. we have a 1-800 number that people can call. if they're interested in becoming resen this area, they can skpaul 1-800-272-3900, in all of our materials and perhaps volunteer to be a par of the research endeavor. we need people to become d people to try to help us find a cure and we are looking for those that are younger or for people that also are very he erested in being part of clinical studies and maybe even being involved in some research endeavors that are currently under way, hoping to help us get some medication,ma phuticals there now. >> all right. nd'll continue our talk about alzheimer'sementia right af.
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i put criminals in prison during the day i'm jennifer wexton, and as a prosecutor, and changed diapers at night. later, when i had a law practice, i volunteered to help moms collect child support. then, as state senator, i worked across party lines to target sexual offenders and take guns away from domestic abusers. in congress, i'll stand up to president trump. i approve this message because, like every working mom, what's ahead is as important as what's in the rearview mirror.
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alzheimer's, dementia. jane, what is it i can do to protect my brain health? what people need to be doing to try t reduce their risk? >> one of the things we can do to reduce our risk is focus on a healthy lifestyle. and when we think about all the things that we've learned about protecting our heart, having a healthy lifestyle fort, our he when you do that, you also protect all the organs in your body, but also you brain as well. so healthy heart, healy brain. some of the things that have come into the research arena recently are your blood . pressu having a lower blood pressure consistently all through out, your lilso making sure your numbers, yourcholesterol, making sure the numbers are where they should be for you and talk with your doctorbout that, your blood sugar levels. all those things are important for a healthy heart. but they're very important,
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also, for a healthy brain. we know that, if you have a healthy diet, the mediterranean diet or the dash diet, the blood pressure medicine you take igo to take. if you need it, your broyou mig try some things on your own to uce your blood pressure to about 120 to 70, 120 to 60. if you need to lose weight, you can exercise, eat a lower sodium diet which wil with your blood pressure. that's one of the things that's ch been done on blood pressure the ways it affects the brain. ow these are things we hear frooektly about to stay healthy and how to prevent heart attack and stroke and diabetes. >> and consequently reduce your risk of dementia, also.
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because t capillaries and the veins and the arteries in your brain utilize, out of every heartbeat you have, 25% of that blood goes toai your >> if it's in your family, are you going to get it? >> that's a loaded question. your risk might beas inc if you have generations of alzheimer's. for example, if your grandparents had it, one of your grandparen, one of your parents had it, if yourng sib had it. >> immediate relatives. >> right. >> the walk takes place on the 29th. what's your goal? >> we have a total goal this year of $2 million across all seven walks. >> how is that money >> i'm going ask my colleague here -- >> does goit to research? >> a portion for sure goes to research. that's really one of the key factors for the alzheimer's
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association. this is to support research and also money stays in the area for programs andservices. we have education programs, caregiver education programs. we have programs for people with an early, younger diagnosis. we have support groups. we have a 1-80 number that people can call /7. people will answer the phone. you don't get a message machine. you get a person to tk to. we have care consultations. programs, ety anything that we can do to help people living in the midst of alzheimeys. >> so m people fear it. they're afraid, what h i get alzheimer's. i guess fear doesn't do any good care of your body and try to reduce your risk. >> that's right. i agree. >> and come out and advocate. please come out. >> help raise money and eventually find a cure.
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. teath toll is rising. two more deas being blamed on hurricane florence as it continues to pound t carolinas. a news crew captures apparent looting that cleaned out an unattended store. and help is on the way from the d.c. area. an elite rescue crew from virginia headi loth the massive relief efforts already unde f what is now tropical depression florence as it's been downgraded ait overnight. i'm adam us the. >>
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