Former first lady of California, Maria Shriver, was in San Francisco on Thursday kicking off an event that is near and dear to her heart and her mind: The Move for Minds initiative, aimed at educating women about Alzheimer's.
Women from across the Bay Area gathered to hear Shriver talk about the June 4 fundraiser taking place at eight Equinox fitness clubs across the country. Shriver, whose father struggled with the degenerative brain disease, says the toll of Alzheimer's is devastating both emotionally and financially.
"Every 66 seconds, a new brain gets Alzheimer's, and two-thirds of those are women. And two-thirds of the caregivers of Alzheimer's are women," Shriver said. "This is a clarion call for all women to think about your brain, think about Alzheimer's."
The one-day Move for Minds event features an excercise class that focuses on the mind-body connection and the latest research from experts such as Dr. Bruce Miller of UCSF's Memory and Aging Center, who says 30 percent of Alzheimer's is actually preventable.
"If we prevent diabetes, it lowers the chance of contracting by threefold," Miller says. "If we can increase excercise or reduce head trauma, it's threefold less likely."
Enough sleep and good nutrition are the other key components to helping people not lose their minds.
For those interested in being a part of the June 4 event, visit the Womens Alzheimer's Movement website.
