This week our research volunteer Richard Apple is being honored as part of Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation’s® (GAP) National Citizen Scientist Awards®, which are being presented at the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s National Alzheimer’s Summit in Washington, DC. GAP is honoring Richard because of the crucial role he plays in our work to end Alzheimer’s, particularly his advocacy on behalf of caregivers for GAP and the Alzheimer’s Association®. Thanks to Citizen Scientists’ participation in and support of our research, we maintain hope that every day brings us closer to finding an effective treatment or cure for Alzheimer’s.
While Richard’s commitment to research is extraordinary, it is not difficult to follow in his footsteps.
We are currently enrolling participants in Alzheimer’s studies. We’re grateful for everything Richard does and continues to do for us, but he needs your help. Did you know that 90% of Alzheimer’s clinical trials nationwide experience delays due to recruitment difficulties? Eliminating that barrier to research is the single most important thing we can do to hasten a cure.
To see a list of enrolling studies, click here. You can also call us at 773-275-3500 or email Amber Holst at aholst@greatlakesclinicaltrials.com. Alzheimer’s is a complex puzzle, but research participants are the most important piece of the solution. We hope you will consider following Richard’s example by joining a clinical trial.
Alzheimer’s is one of the most urgent public health crises Illinois faces. 230,000 Illinoisans live with Alzheimer’s, with that number expected to rise to 260,000 by 2025. That’s why participation in Alzheimer’s studies is so important. In fact, the first person to be cured of Alzheimer’s will be a clinical trial participant. We are proud to be one of more than 70 Alzheimer’s research centers nationwide in the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation’s (GAP) network, working to speed and improve clinical trials.
Meet our Citizen Scientist
Richard Apple, Rockford, IL
To say Alzheimer’s disease runs in Richard Apple’s family is an understatement. He lost both of his grandmothers, his mother, and an uncle to the disease. In fact, for the Apple family, Alzheimer’s appears to stretch back nearly 200 years; a diary by an ancestor who came to the United States in the 1830s indicates the author’s mother may have had dementia.
Richard remembers his Grandmother Apple as a confident, strong woman before she started experiencing Alzheimer’s symptoms. She was well educated and active in her community. “When she moved to nursing care, it was very sad for me,” he says. “I told myself I would do what I could to fight Alzheimer’s when I got a chance.”
Richard’s uncle was next. Serving as his uncle’s caregiver taught Richard how little the health care system knew about caring for individuals with dementia. Richard’s mom was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She had been the picture of health, walking five miles a day well into her 70s, but her diagnosis and disease progression necessitated in-home care and eventually assisted living.
Richard resolved to do whatever he could to help other families navigate the difficult experience of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, so he went to work for the Alzheimer’s Association as a care navigator. That role sparked an interest in clinical trials and research, planting the seeds for Richard’s eventual trial participation at Great Lakes Clinical Trials once he retired.
“First, I was screened for participation,” Richard explained. “When they called me to come back in, I had some thoughts about not going, but then I reaffirmed in my mind that I owed it to struggling families to participate in the research.” Based on the study screening tests, Richard’s doctor informed him he had elevated amyloid levels in brain putting him at high risk for developing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. “I thought, thank goodness I decided to stick through the screening – I always feel like it’s better to know than not know,” he remembers. Richard is resolved to contribute to research, and he is optimistic about the future: “I feel like we’re on the cusp of a breakthrough. Of course, nobody knows which [study] will be the breakthrough, which is why we need as many participants as possible.”
Richard has been struck by the kindness, professionalism, and camaraderie of the team at Great Lakes Clinical Trials, who have given him a greater picture of his overall health: “A couple of times they found my blood pressure was high and worked with me to have that evaluated by my general practitioner. I went on blood pressure meds and now I’m in the normal range.”
His positive experience at Great Lakes inspired Richard to encourage everyone he knows to get involved in a clinical trial: “If you participate, you are likely to get the drug sooner, even if you are on placebo during the study. It would be very positive to postpone or avoid what I went through with my family. It gives you a sense of purpose.” For now, Richard concentrates on staying optimistic, healthy living, and living in the moment, especially with his grandkids.