The warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease don’t always come all at once.
At first, it can feel like normal aging - but for Dave Stephens, those moments quickly raised concern.
“Forgetting where my keys are, to me those are aging things, but the things I was forgetting were significant. They had an impact on people other than myself,” Stephens said.
He began getting tested, and in October 2024, he got his answer: early-stage Alzheimer’s.
“That kind of news is not something you really prepare for,” he said.
But because it was caught early, he had options.
“I’m kind of an aggressive risk taker by nature, so I was like ‘yeah, I want to do it,’” he said.
Today, he gets treatment once a month and has made major lifestyle changes to slow progression.
But he says the biggest advantage was simply knowing.
“Not everyone who has Alzheimer’s is like the people in the commercials and the movies. Some people actually live with this somewhat successfully,” he said.
And that early diagnosis could soon be within reach for more people, under a new proposed bill.
Karen Garner, Virginia Advocacy Manager with the Alzheimer’s Association, says that’s where the Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act comes in.
“It will allow Medicare and Medicaid to cover the cost of those blood biomarkers that will help with early access to treatments, and will help families start making plans sooner,” Garner said.
Garner tells 10 News it’s similar to when Congress enabled coverage for routine mammograms in cancer testing.
“This is our mammogram moment. Where we can have the opportunity to integrate getting these tests so that families can go through the process at a much quicker rate,” Garner said. =
Right now, many of the treatments rely on an early diagnosis - but fewer than 10% of people living with a mild cognitive impairment get a diagnosis early enough to benefit from that treatment.
“Alzheimer’s, you would consider to be a sense of urgency. We should move quickly to maybe take advantage of what is out there today,” Stephens said.
The bill has bipartisan support - including backing from Senator Mark Warner (D) and several other lawmakers in Virginia and across the country.
Advocates say expanding access to early testing could give more families the chance Stephens had - time to plan, adjust, and take action.
“When I talk to people like I am talking to you, they say that, ‘How can you have Alzheimer’s?’ I say, ‘Because all you know about it is what you see in commercials and movies where people are already gone. The only difference between you and I, is I went and got a test that took me no time to do. Go help yourself,’” Stephens said.