A Letter to the Alzheimer’s Community
Hope, Breakthroughs, and the Road to 2026
Opening — From My Heart to Yours
If you're reading this, you're part of a community I hold in my heart every single day.
You may be a caregiver who has given up sleep, work, and weekends to make sure your loved one is safe—who has learned to function on exhaustion and love.
You may be a person living with Alzheimer's, navigating the fog with courage most people will never witness or comprehend.
You may be a researcher, clinician, or advocate who spends your days searching for answers—and your nights thinking about the ones we've lost along the way.
This letter is for you.
It's part gratitude, part reflection, and part rally cry for what's ahead.
Because the road stretches long before us—but it is no longer a road without hope.
Looking Back: 2025 in the Alzheimer's Community
This year brought moments of profound exhaustion and frustration. Setbacks that felt crushing. Days when progress seemed impossibly slow. Losses that broke our hearts.
But it also brought genuine progress, deepening connection, and more tangible hope than we've seen in decades.
I've witnessed families fight relentlessly to get accurate diagnoses—and win.
I've watched patients choose treatment with extraordinary courage, fully understanding the risks, because the possibility of more meaningful time mattered more than the fear.
I've sat with caregivers whose eyes told truths their words couldn't quite capture: they are bone-tired, running on empty, carrying impossible weight—but they are not giving up.
From our blog earlier this year, "Navigating the Diagnosis":
"An accurate diagnosis is not just a label—it's the foundation for every decision you'll make from here on out. And it's worth fighting for."
In 2025, more people fought for—and received—that foundation.
They demanded biomarker testing when initial assessments were vague. They sought second opinions when something felt wrong. They advocated for themselves and their loved ones with persistence that changed outcomes.
That matters. That progress is real.
Breakthroughs That Mattered in 2025
1. Expanded Access to Anti-Amyloid Treatments
Medications like Leqembi and Kisunla became more widely available this year, with infusion centers opening in previously underserved areas and insurance approvals increasing (though not as quickly as needed).
While these treatments aren't appropriate for everyone and aren't cures, they have given families something that used to be unthinkable: the ability to measurably slow disease progression.
From our blog, "Understanding Leqembi & Kisunla":
"These medications are not cures—but for some, they offer the most precious gift of all: more time to make memories that will outlast the disease."
I've watched this unfold in real time with my mother and countless families I've worked with through Memory Treatment Advisors. More time for milestones. More time for connection. More time for love.
2. Revolutionary Advancements in Blood-Based Diagnostics
Early detection tools—including highly accurate blood tests for amyloid and tau—are on the verge of transforming how we diagnose Alzheimer's.
What this means practically:
Diagnosis could become faster, less invasive, and more accessible
Treatment could start earlier, when it has the greatest chance of effectiveness
Patients might avoid years of uncertainty and misdiagnosis
Rural and underserved communities could gain access previously impossible
We're moving from invasive PET scans and lumbar punctures toward simple blood tests that can be administered in primary care settings.
This is the kind of breakthrough that changes everything.
3. A Surge in Clinical Trial Participation
Through education, trust-building, community outreach, and families sharing their stories, we've seen more patients and families courageously join clinical research.
From our blog, "Clinical Trials Demystified":
"Every treatment we have today exists because someone said yes to participating in a study."
My mother was one of those people who said yes in 2019. Her courage—and the courage of 1,794 others in the Clarity AD trial—made Leqembi possible.
This year, thousands more enrolled in trials testing:
Oral medications
Combination therapies
Prevention strategies for high-risk individuals
Treatments targeting tau, inflammation, and other pathways
Each volunteer is writing the future for all of us.
4. The Rise of Holistic Support for Caregivers
We've seen more organizations offering respite care, caregiver training programs, mental health support, support groups, and recognition that caregiver wellbeing is not optional—it's essential.
From our blog, "Family Conflict & Decision Fatigue":
"The hardest part isn't always the decision itself—it's carrying the weight of the decision when you're already running on empty."
This year brought:
Expanded Medicare coverage for caregiver training
More employer flexibility for caregiving leave
Growth in virtual support groups connecting isolated caregivers
Increased attention to caregiver mental health and burnout prevention
These services are not luxuries. They are lifelines that determine whether families can sustain the caregiving journey.
The Work Still Ahead
While we celebrate genuine wins, the unfinished work demands our continued focus:
Reducing disparities in diagnosis and treatment access for Black, Hispanic, rural, and low-income communities who face systemic barriers
Expanding Medicare coverage for new medications and removing bureaucratic obstacles that delay treatment
Ensuring rural families have access to both diagnostic tools and treatment options without traveling hundreds of miles
Fighting stigma so more people seek help earlier, when interventions are most effective
Supporting caregivers with compensation, respite care, and mental health resources
Accelerating research into prevention, earlier intervention, and eventually—cures
This community will not rest until everyone affected by Alzheimer's has access to hope, treatment, and dignity.
Looking Forward: 2026 and Beyond
Here's what gives me genuine hope as we move into this new year:
1. Oral Alzheimer's Medications in Development
Several oral anti-amyloid and neuroprotective drugs are moving through Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials. If approved, they could make treatment:
More accessible (no infusion centers required)
Less intimidating (no IV infusions)
Easier to sustain long-term
Available to rural and underserved communities
The convenience factor alone could transform treatment adherence and accessibility.
2. Combination Therapies
Researchers are exploring multi-pronged approaches that attack Alzheimer's from multiple angles simultaneously:
Anti-amyloid medications + tau-targeting drugs
Pharmacological treatment + intensive lifestyle interventions
Medications + anti-inflammatory approaches
Possibly even vaccines in development
Cancer treatment taught us that combination approaches often work better than single interventions. Alzheimer's research is learning the same lesson.
3. Better ARIA Risk Management
ARIA (Amyloid-Related Imaging Abnormalities)—brain swelling or microbleeds—remains one of the biggest risks of anti-amyloid therapy.
New developments:
Enhanced imaging protocols that catch ARIA earlier
Genetic screening identifying high-risk patients (especially APOE4/4 carriers)
Modified dosing strategies that reduce risk
Better patient education about symptoms to watch for
From our blog, "Navigating Side Effects":
"Understanding the risks is not about scaring people away—it's about making sure they walk in with their eyes open and their care team prepared."
Knowledge and preparation transform risk management.
4. Quantum and Integrative Approaches
More attention is being given to quantum healing meditation, mindfulness practices, and mind-body interventions—not as replacements for medical care, but as powerful complementary tools for resilience, peace, and wellbeing.
From our blog, "Quantum Healing for Alzheimer's":
"The mind may forget, but the body remembers peace—and we can still give that gift to patients and caregivers alike."
Research is increasingly validating what many have known intuitively: meditation, stress reduction, quality sleep, and emotional support measurably impact disease progression and quality of life.
5. AI and Technology Integration
Artificial intelligence is being deployed for:
Earlier, more accurate diagnosis through pattern recognition
Personalized treatment protocols based on individual biomarkers
Safety monitoring systems for people living at home
Caregiver support through virtual assistance
Technology won't replace human connection, but it can extend our capacity to care well.
A Call to Action for 2026
I'm asking you—wherever you are in this journey—to take one intentional step forward this year:
If you're a caregiver: Ask for help before you reach complete burnout. Your wellbeing matters. You cannot pour from an empty cup indefinitely.
If you're a person living with Alzheimer's: Share your story when you feel able. Your voice, your perspective, your experience matters more than you know. You are not defined by this diagnosis.
If you're a researcher or clinician: Keep pushing forward, even when progress feels slow. Your work is changing lives—including mine and my mother's.
If you're new to this community: Learn. Connect. Reach out. Ask questions. You are not alone in this, and there are people who genuinely want to help.
If you have resources to give: Donate to Alzheimer's research. Support caregiver organizations. Advocate for policy changes. Volunteer your time.
If you're simply exhausted: Rest. Give yourself permission to step back when needed. The community will hold you while you recover.
We all have a role. Every contribution matters.
Reflecting on the Year's Most Personal Moments
Throughout 2025, we explored difficult questions together through this blog:
From "The Invisible Patients: APOE4/4", we examined genetic risk and the tough choices high-risk individuals face about testing and prevention.
From "Gratitude Amid Loss", we learned how to hold grief and gratitude simultaneously during holidays—acknowledging that both deserve space at the table.
From "Who Will Be There When I Forget?", I confronted the fear single, childless individuals face about our own future care—and explored new models of community and support.
From "The Ultimate Gift", we honored the extraordinary courage of clinical trial volunteers whose sacrifice creates hope for generations.
From "What Remains", we discovered that holidays with Alzheimer's can still be beautiful when we focus on connection over perfection.
Each of these conversations mattered because they reflected real fears, real hopes, and real experiences in this community.
You showed up in comments, messages, and calls sharing your own stories. That vulnerability, that willingness to connect—that is what transforms individual struggle into collective strength.
The Road Ahead: What I See Coming
In 2026, I believe we'll see:
At least one new disease-modifying treatment approved
Blood-based diagnostics becoming standard in primary care
Expanded caregiver support programs nationwide
More diverse clinical trial enrollment
Increased public awareness reducing stigma
Better integration of holistic and medical approaches
Technology making caregiving safer and more sustainable
But more than specific milestones, I believe we'll see continued growth of this community—people finding each other, supporting each other, refusing to face this alone.
That is where the real hope lives. Not just in medications and research, but in our collective refusal to abandon each other.
Closing — From My Heart to Yours
In one of our most vulnerable blogs this year, "Who Will Be There When I Forget?", I wrote:
"One day, I may not remember the details—but I will feel the warmth of your hand, the tone of your voice, the love in your presence. I hope the answer to 'Who will be there when I forget?' is simple: the same people who are here when I remember."
That is my hope for all of us in 2026—that we continue showing up for one another.
Because Alzheimer's is not just a medical condition fought in laboratories and clinics. It's a community story, written through millions of individual acts of courage, sacrifice, research, caregiving, and love.
And we are still writing it together.
To every person who:
Said yes to a clinical trial
Advocated for a proper diagnosis
Showed up for a caregiver friend
Researched in a laboratory
Donated to fund research
Shared your story publicly
Held someone's hand through fear
Refused to give up hope
Thank you.
Your contribution to this story matters more than you may ever fully know
As we step into 2026, I carry gratitude for this community, hope for the breakthroughs ahead, and determination to keep fighting for everyone touched by Alzheimer's.
May this year bring you moments of unexpected joy, necessary rest, meaningful connection, and tangible hope.
We're in this together. And together, we're changing everything.
With love and gratitude,
Teri Youngdale
Founder, Youngdale Media Group LLC
Founder, Memory Treatment Advisors & Alzheimer's Survivor
Study Partner, & Member of this community—just like you
📅 Need support navigating Alzheimer's treatment decisions, care planning, or finding hope in the journey?
Book your free 10-minute clarity call: memorytreatmentadvisors.com/schedule
You don't have to figure this out alone. I'm here.
