MARIA’S BRAIN QUEST

MARIA SHRIVER TALKS ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION AND THE SMALL HABITS THAT CAN GO A LONG WAY IN BUILDING A HEALTHIER BRAIN.

If you don’t already prioritize your cognitive health, now’s the time to start, says Maria Shriver, one of the biggest names in Alzheimer’s disease advocacy, research, funding and education. Since her father was diagnosed with the disease in 2003, the two-time Emmy award–winning journalist and producer has dedicated much of her life to chasing down a cure and understanding the unique connection between women’s biology and their increased risk for developing certain neurodegenerative diseases.

“Twenty years ago, there was no discussion about brain health,” says Shriver, 66, founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM). “At that time, people saw it as something that happened to older people. But we no longer believe that there’s nothing you can do about it.”

She created the HBO documentary series The Alzheimer’s Project, wrote a bestselling children’s book on the subject, What’s Happening to Grandpa?, and soon became an expert on the dietary and lifestyle habits that help ward off the disease. She joined forces with the Alzheimer’s Association to publish the Shriver Report, and announced in 2010 that the disease was disproportionately impacting women and that women’s research was lagging far behind men’s. Today, two-thirds of those who develop Alzheimer’s are women, so Shriver and her nonprofit WAM have partnered with Cleveland Clinic to find out why. “I’m optimistic that women are now front and center in the narrative when talking about Alzheimer’s,” she says.

Spry Living caught up with Shriver to discuss her daily cognitiveboosting endeavors, why we need to reframe aging and the steps everyone can take, at any age, to better their brains.

We have 10,000 people turning 65 every day in this country.

So, I’m trying to shift the narrative of what it means to be a certain age in our society. People always say you get to your 60s, you retire and it’s over. But that’s not what I’m experiencing at all. I’m experiencing a spurt of energy. I’m experiencing dreams. I raised my kids, I’m out of a marriage [to Arnold Schwarzenegger], I took care of my parents. Many of the things that I set out as goals for myself have been realized, and I have more dreams left. Society doesn’t consider people in their 60s as vital and relevant and excited and interesting. And I want to be a part of changing that narrative, not just for myself, but for my generation. Boomers have changed so much when it comes to how we look at the world. And we’re changing how aging is perceived. People are empty nesting and they’re not falling apart. They’re selling their stuff and hitting the road. They’re becoming entrepreneurs. But you can only do that if you’re healthy.