Blog

<h3>Early-Onset Alzheimer’s and the Silence No One Talks About</h3><figure id="figure-yislrbi7hmdj9l1ag" data-full-width=""><img id="yislrbi7hmdj9l1ag" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/34aTnTVcUgrrYGnD787dt8Aw8YDJDi1ntWiiHdzsPVDFcZL612EvuOO4hxXakrJ3.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl selected" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="Too Young to Disappear" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="true" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/34aTnTVcUgrrYGnD787dt8Aw8YDJDi1ntWiiHdzsPVDFcZL612EvuOO4hxXakrJ3.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-mce-selected="1"><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">Too Young to Disappear</figcaption></figure>By Vanessa Saunders, Founder of MiM (Memory in Motion) Everyone talks about Alzheimer’s like it starts in a rocking chair.Like it waits politely until you're 87, gray-haired, and holding a faded photo of someone you used to recognize.But what if it starts earlier? Much earlier.What if it starts with forgetting the word for remote at 52? Or getting lost on the way home from your regular grocery store? Or staring at a toothbrush and wondering—just for a second—what you’re supposed to do with it?That’s early-onset Alzheimer’s. And there is almost nothing built for it.&nbsp; Where Are the Systems for People Still in Motion? Early-onset Alzheimer’s doesn’t look like the movies. It looks like:A dad who forgets how to start the car—but remembers every World Cup stat from 1982. A mom who can teach a yoga class but can't remember how to open the banking app. A couple who still has a mortgage, still has jobs, still raises kids—and now must navigate a system designed for someone twenty years older and mostly silent. If you're diagnosed at 50, 55, 60... good luck. You’re too young for most clinical trials. Too functional for memory care. Too sharp for your friends to believe you. Too early for help. Too late for denial.&nbsp; And the Support Groups? Let’s just say this: If you're still paying college tuition and someone hands you a support group filled with 80-year-olds reminiscing about Lawrence Welk and their grandkids’ graduations, you're probably going to smile politely, cry in the car, and never go back.&nbsp; This Is What No One Talks About. Alzheimer’s doesn’t arrive all at once. It arrives like fog. Quiet. Creeping. Confusing.But for early-onset patients and their families, that fog lands while life is still happening.Jobs. Bills. Dinner. Children. Spouses. Dreams.There is no pause button for this kind of diagnosis. So why does every form of support act like there is?&nbsp; That’s Why I Built MiM. MiM (Memory in Motion) was built because my husband Tim started forgetting things—and I started realizing no one had built the system we needed.We didn’t need a pamphlet. We needed a plan.We didn’t need a support group that met once a month in the back room of a hospital. We needed daily reminders, structure, empathy, and tools that helped us keep our life intact while the ground shifted beneath it.MiM isn’t a medical app. It’s a life support system for early-stage Alzheimer’s. It’s for the Travelers who are still capable of so much—and the Supporters who are trying to keep it all together without burning out or breaking down.&nbsp; If You're Reading This... You may be in that quiet in-between space. The stage where you’re not quite sure if this is real. Where it still feels like maybe it’s stress. Or aging. Or burnout. Or lack of sleep.But you know. You’ve seen the shift. And maybe you’re terrified to say the word out loud.That’s okay. MiM was built for exactly this moment.Before things get worse. Before routines fall apart. Before the system fails you.Because it will. Unless we build something better. Together.&nbsp; Learn More 🔗 https://livewithmim.orgWe’re not here to replace doctors, trials, or medication. We’re here to do what they won’t: walk with you every day after the diagnosis.&nbsp; 💡 MiM: Built to Remember. Designed to Care. 🐘 Share this. Someone needs it right now—even if they’re not ready to say it out loud yet.

🧠 What Happens When You're Too Young to Disappear?

Back in June, Tim flagged something that barely made a blip in the mainstream press — but it should have.Researchers are fast-tracking Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s treatments by testing existing FDA-approved drugs (like Ozempic and Wegovy) for brain health benefits. The upside? No need to spend ten years reinventing the pill bottle.Now, the buzz is building. Repurposed meds could mean faster breakthroughs, fewer barriers to access, and yes — if we’re lucky — a slightly looser waistband.If your brain fog clears and the muffin top melts? That’s not a side effect. That’s a miracle.Read the full original post: <a data-mce-href="https://mimconnect.substack.com/p/the-cure-might-already-be-in-the" href="https://mimconnect.substack.com/p/the-cure-might-already-be-in-the" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">📬 The Cure Might Already Be in the Medicine Cabinet</a>

We Said It First: Your Weight-Loss Drug Might Also Help Your Brain

<figure id="figure-f0re6hf5mmddhr9w1"><img id="f0re6hf5mmddhr9w1" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/1aXybhVOrCjXSVBZy0ysj7tTzfCuAAH6NAKWzzfH7pNStDZdfeXWqtSt45Dtl1P8.png" alt="Cartoon elephant in a teal lab coat and glasses stands beside a Neuriva brain health supplement box on a turquoise background. Text on screen reads, “Remember Neuriva” and “An elephant never forgets.”" title="Cartoon elephant in a teal lab coat and glasses stands beside a Neuriva brain health supplement box on a turquoise background. Text on screen reads, “Remember Neuriva” and “An elephant never forgets.”" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-2xl md:rounded-3xl lg:rounded-4xl" style="aspect-ratio: 3/2; object-position: 55% undefined%;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="3:2" data-caption="“Take it from me… an elephant never forgets.” But real memory isn’t cartoon logic. It’s structure, routine, and rhythm. MiM doesn’t wear a lab coat. It walks beside you. #MiMConnect #NotJustPills #ElephantMyth #MemoryInMotion #MiMSpark" data-positionX="55%" data-positionY="undefined%" data-fullWidth="false"/><figcaption class="body-normal text-gray-500 mt-2">“Take it from me… an elephant never forgets.” But real memory isn’t cartoon logic. It’s structure, routine, and rhythm. MiM doesn’t wear a lab coat. It walks beside you. #MiMConnect #NotJustPills #ElephantMyth #MemoryInMotion #MiMSpark</figcaption></figure>But What If You’re Not an Elephant? We were watching TV the other day, and up pops this very earnest, spectacled elephant in a lab coat. He tells us—without irony—to "Remember Neuriva," a brain supplement promising to support memory.Cute? Sure. Effective? Maybe. Trusted? Let’s just say... not yet.Here’s the thing:🐘 Elephants don’t forget because they live in herds, follow routines, and constantly revisit what matters. Sound familiar?That’s MiM’s entire philosophy. We're not betting on a bottle. We're betting on you—your habits, your rhythms, your people, your life.So yes, we saw the elephant. But instead of reaching for a supplement, we reached for the structure that helps Tim write again. That gets Brenin and Colwyn’s names right. That makes sure the meds are taken, the dogs are fed, and the dignity stays intact.MiM isn’t a pill. It’s a pattern that remembers you back.&nbsp; Tag: #Supplements #RoutinesMatter #ElephantMyth

An Elephant Never Forgets

🧬 What do a Nobel Prize–worthy gene, a hormone still fighting for its reputation, and a Realtor building an Alzheimer’s app in New Hampshire have in common?A spark.When Dr. Christin Glorioso shared her own APOEε4 status—and the lifestyle choices that may override its risk—it reminded me why MiM exists in the first place.So just to be clear: this isn’t a rabbit hole. This is the path.Because MiM was built for exactly this moment. For people who are still early, still living, still trying to hold on to structure and dignity while the system tells them to just... wait.This post—about risk, about early support, about agency—fits our mission completely. It’s what we’ve been saying all along:🧠 MiM isn’t here for the end of the story. It’s here for the middle—the part no one else seems to be helping with.It’s not just about diagnosis. It’s about identity. Not just prevention. Purpose. And not just waiting for the system to catch up, but creating the kind of support now that too many people still can’t find.👉 <a data-mce-href="https://drglorioso.substack.com/p/apoe-alzheimers-risk-and-what-to" href="https://drglorioso.substack.com/p/apoe-alzheimers-risk-and-what-to" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read Dr. Glorioso’s full post here</a>And then let’s talk about why this matters for every woman, every family, and every person terrified of the slow fade they’re told to just prepare for.

APOE, Estrogen, and the Spark We Can’t Afford to Lose

<h3> What Icobrain Means for Alzheimer’s — and What Still Needs Building</h3> Last month, the FDA approved something that should’ve made a bigger splash: Icobrain ARIA — the first-ever AI tool cleared to detect and measure amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) on MRI scans in Alzheimer’s patients.In plain English?It helps doctors spot side effects from new Alzheimer’s drugs — like Donanemab (Kisunla) — earlier and more precisely. That’s good news, especially when “missing something on a scan” can mean swelling or microbleeds in the brain.So yes — this is a big deal. AI helping radiologists = progress.But let’s be clear:It still won’t help you remember your meds. It won’t get you dressed. It won’t restore your routine, your identity, or your joy.That’s where MiM comes in.&nbsp; 🧭 We Need Medical Tools — and Life Tools Icobrain ARIA is a powerful advancement in diagnostics. But we also need something that supports the rest of the day — the “What do I do now?” part.That’s what we’re building with MiM.MiM is a support platform for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s — and for the loved ones walking beside them. It’s not another reminder app. It’s a structure for living well, even when memory starts to shift.Because you can’t MRI your way through breakfast.&nbsp; ✨ Want to See It in Action? We're building it now. And it’s already helping people — including my husband Tim — live with more purpose and less fear.💬 Visit LiveWithMiM.org 📬 Or read Letters from Tim — his journey, in his own words.We can’t slow the disease — yet. But we can preserve structure, dignity, and meaning. That’s what MiM is here for.—Vanessa Saunders (Grandma) Founder, MiM <a data-mce-href="https://mimconnect.substack.com" href="https://mimconnect.substack.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">https://mimconnect.substack.com</a>

N🧠 Brains, Bots, and FDA-Approved Hope

<h3>Oh Right—I Forgot. (Pun very much intended.)</h3>By Vanessa Saunders Founder, MiM (Memory in Motion)&nbsp; When my husband Tim was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I was told that—as his caretaker—I had a lot of reading to do. I arrived home to an email containing no less than thirty-eight brochures.Thirty-eight.Not a single one told us how to get through breakfast the next day. Not one mentioned how to preserve his routine or his identity. And absolutely none explained what to do in that long, silent stretch between diagnosis and decline—where most people are left floating in fear and paperwork, with a refrigerator full of “resources” no one asked for.We were told what would happen, down the road. But not how to live with it—now.Unless, of course, you count:Locking him in the house (literally—alarms and all) Alerting the police that he might wander (Silver Alert! How charming.) Selling his car Don’t let him walk the dogs Don’t let him leave the house without me. Ever. Oh, and cancel my vacation. (Which I did. And I wish I hadn’t. I needed that break so much. Spoiler: caregivers are human too.)We were told the State might come for our savings. That we’d better look into assisted living—tout suite—because of waitlists. That adult day care might help (it doesn’t exist in our area, and frankly, that might be a mercy).&nbsp; What we weren’t told? How to help him stay present. How to protect his independence—while he still has it. How to build a life that doesn’t feel like soft imprisonment, surrounded by laminated grief and brochure buzzwords like "dementia-friendly engagement."We weren’t given a system. We were given a warning.&nbsp; So, I did what anyone would do, really. I laughed. Then I cried. Then I got mad. And then I started building a system.So I started building one. A system that helps people with this terrifying diagnosis live now. And their Supporters. Not just “prepare for decline.” Fight, damn it. Fight. Because if there’s a spark left, we owe it to them to keep it lit.Something that recognizes Travelers as still here, still capable, still whole—and desperately in need of something more than a tracking bracelet and a pamphlet about “sundowning.”&nbsp; I call it MiM: Memory in Motion—a platform for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s (we call them Travelers) and the ones walking beside them (Supporters). MiM isn’t a miracle. It’s a map. A daily structure that helps preserve autonomy, identity, and hope—not in theory, but in real life.And here’s the best part: It works.It’s in beta now. We’ve already seen results. Tim is writing again—something I never thought I’d witness. And many of our earliest users are doing more, smiling more, connecting more… and forgetting a little less.&nbsp; And then I did the polite thing: I reached out for help. One of the first organizations I approached was—you guessed it—the Alzheimer’s Association.You’d think, given the hundreds of millions they’ve raised, they’d be interested in something that wasn’t another walk-a-thon or print run.But no.I received a response—six weeks ago, it turns out. I only just found it. (In my spam folder, which, frankly, is where metaphors go to die.)Their response?“We don’t have a system or staff person in place to pilot or partner with a platform like yours.” Also: Would you like us to shred the materials you left behind? Yes. Really.They couldn’t even point me to someone at the national level to have a conversation with.&nbsp; And that, right there, is the problem.Organizations like this exist to raise awareness and “fund hope.” But when something shows up that is hope—tangible, trackable, human—they don’t have a folder for it. No team. No framework. No phone line. Just… “good luck.”They have fundraising galas. They have purple wristbands. They have grants for brochures that explain, in detail, exactly how the disease will ruin your life.But they don’t have a person to talk to someone like me.&nbsp; So yes, Melissa. Please shred my materials. But before you do, visit 👉 <a data-mce-href="https://livewithmim.org" href="https://livewithmim.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://livewithmim.org.</a> You’ll see what’s possible when we stop asking for permission and start building the thing families actually need.&nbsp; MiM exists because the system doesn’t. And to be clear… I’m not waiting for the Alzheimer’s Association to catch up. I’ve already heard from the Milken Institute, APDA, independent researchers, and families across the country who saw MiM and immediately said:“This. This is what’s been missing.” MiM is live. The work is happening. And yes—just like Eric Idle said—we’re always looking on the bright side of life. Even if we had to build the damn flashlight ourselves.&nbsp; 🧠 About MiM MiM (Memory in Motion) is a daily support system for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s (Travelers) and their Supporters (Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers.)&nbsp; It’s not a cure. It’s a compass.Learn more or join the movement: 👉 https://livewithmim.org&nbsp; Please—share this and the MiM website with anyone and everyone you know.So many families are still waiting for help that doesn’t yet exist. The truth is, what Im building is only the beginning. Numbers matter—to investors, to grant committees, to foundations holding the purse strings tight while caregivers drown in overwhelm and platitudes.God knows, I hope there’s a cure before this work is done. But in the meantime, we need something real.And no, that’s not another bottle of overpriced supplements with a fake doctor smile promising to “sharpen your focus naturally.”MiM is the opposite of snake oil. It’s structure. It’s support. It’s showing up every day. And it’s being built by someone living it—not just writing about it.Help me make it real. Help me make it loud.👉 https://livewithmim.org

Where Does All the Money Go?

Memory In Motion

A support platform for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s, focused on daily routines, identity, and compassionate structure. Called MiM: Memory in Motion.

MiM Spark

🧠 What Happens When You're Too Young to Disappear?

We Said It First: Your Weight-Loss Drug Might Also Help Y...

An Elephant Never Forgets

APOE, Estrogen, and the Spark We Can’t Afford to Lose

N🧠 Brains, Bots, and FDA-Approved Hope

Where Does All the Money Go?