Early Enough to Count

This week I was thrilled to be in London at the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), where many of the world’s leading researchers, clinicians, and dementia professionals converged.

Never before have we had better tools to find Alzheimer’s earlier. The challenge is getting these tools to people who can benefit most, when early intervention counts. Increasingly, people living with Alzheimer’s are speaking up about what early detection and treatment has done for them.

Writing in Fox News Opinion this week, five Alzheimer’s patients including Dr. Brent Beasley, Lori Baetz, Kathi Rigby, Ralph Carmona, and Michael B. wrote about how catching the disease early — early enough for anti-amyloid treatment to be an option — helped them maintain independence and dignity in the face of a challenging disease. Their stories offer hope and showcase the importance of early diagnosis.

“Each of us was diagnosed early enough for one of the new anti-amyloid treatments to become an option. These treatments work best when initiated early. We knew they were not cures, but rather an opportunity to slow the disease enough to preserve the moments, independence and relationships that make life meaningful. For us, treatment has been a lifeline.”

Nearly 4 in 5 Americans say they would want to know if they had Alzheimer’s disease, before it started interfering with their daily life. The earlier a diagnosis is made, the more options a person has to intervene and plan for care.

While new blood biomarker tests make it possible to detect Alzheimer’s years before symptoms emerge, these diagnostics aren’t yet available at scale. And most Americans on Medicare aren’t even receiving cognitive assessments to track their brain health, as part of routine Annual Wellness Visits covered by Medicare.

“To change the trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease for future generations, early diagnosis must become a national priority. Patients deserve the chance to learn what is happening while they still have time to act.

That means expanding access to blood tests that can help identify Alzheimer’s disease earlier and more accurately. It means empowering primary care doctors — the clinicians many Americans see most frequently — to recognize cognitive impairment sooner and guide families through treatment and lifestyle options. It means supporting caregivers so patients can remain at home, engaged and independent for as long as possible.

A brighter future would also require ensuring that patients who are good candidates for these treatments can pursue them without burdensome Medicare administrative policies and private insurance denials that block access.”

Dr. Beasley and others put it best: “Better tools to fight Alzheimer’s disease are finally here. We ask that current and future patients have the opportunity to use them.”

That’s the through line that connects the discussions here in London, with what’s happening inside a primary care office in rural Kansas. Only when the breakthroughs unveiled at AAIC come to life inside the doctor’s office, can people act early enough for it to count.

You can read the full piece here.