In Dr. Gladys Maestre, South Texas has found a national authority on memory loss. For years, Maestre has studied dementia by going door to door.
“Everywhere I go, people will pull me and say, ‘My mother, my sister, I have a memory problem,'” Maestre said.
The results of her study, which was conducted through the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, astounded her. She found that close to 20% of people over 65 in the Rio Grande Valley have memory loss, versus around 12% on a national level. But she suspects the number is actually much higher — potentially up to 40% of the community.
Maestre is looking at genetic factors, health issues such as diabetes and pollution, and generational issues, including trauma and poverty.
The reason why it’s happening is unclear, but the impact is unmistakable.
For David and Dawna Johonnett, childhood sweethearts, it was love at first sight. But at 71, Dawna’s worsening dementia brought them to Maestre’s clinic, where she couldn’t recall the shape of a circle.
When asked if she notices the changes happening, Dawna said, “Yes, I’m me, but I don’t know how to say it, but it’s not me anymore.”
Texas alone has nearly half a million people with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association and the Texas Department of State Health Services. State lawmakers this year overwhelmingly approved a $3 billion bill to fund dementia research over the next decade. Voters still have to approve it this fall, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick hopes they do.
“I’ve never had a bigger response than this bill,” Patrick said, adding, “It’s only getting worse.”
Maestre’s cutting-edge research includes blood testing for biomarkers. They can identify who’s at risk and put those patients on a prevention program.
For now, David and Dawna Johonnett feel as though they’ve waded into a darkening drama.
“How can we make the quality of life that we have now last?” David said.
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