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Geriatrician Dr. Ernestine Wright of Stella Maris

Stella Maris Geriatrician Dr. Ernestine Wright Discusses New Study Which Shows Having A Mother With Alzheimer's May Raise Your Risk Of The Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating diagnosis for any family, and a new study says that having a mother with Alzheimer's raises your chances of developing the disease.

Joan Trush's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's eight years ago, and even though her mother passed away this February, Trush still volunteers at Stella Maris, Central Maryland’s largest long term/geriatric care facility and part of Mercy Health Services since 1997.

Trush said she had seen the signs in her mother before the diagnosis.

"I would see things that were out of character for her. I was seeing lots of notes that she left around the house to herself -- more and more of them," she said.

A new study found that people who had a mother with Alzheimer's had less gray matter in areas of the brain vulnerable to the disease.

"There was an extrapolation from that. If you happen to have a mother who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, you may be at increased risk of developing the disease later in life," explained Stella Maris medical director and geriatrician Dr. Ernestine Wright.

Trush noted that she’d read about the study in the Wall Street Journal.

"Having a parent with Alzheimer's -- if you see something about it, you read it, even though you may not want to," she said.

According to Dr. Wright, there are lifestyle changes people can make to lower the risk, including exercising 30 minutes a day, learning something new, having social interaction, keeping blood pressure and cholesterol under control, and taking anti-oxidants.

"The B vitamin might be helpful because it's thought that oxidative stress can cause changes in the brain and neuronal damage," Dr. Wright said.

While Ms. Trush believes she is at higher risk for Alzheimer's, she’s determined not to let it ruin her life or change what she does, and takes steps to safeguard her health.

"I added vitamin B to my checklist. I was checking it off mentally when Dr. Wright was talking about what to do. I've got to add the B vitamins," she said.

To view Dr. Wright’s interview with WBAL-TV11 online, click this link: http://www.wbaltv.com/womansdoctor/27588676/detail.html.