Beating Alzheimer's

The FDA recently approved a number of medications to treat Alzheimer’s disease. But while these new drugs are far from a cure, Lana Sargent says they’re certainly a step in the right direction. And: Fruit flies can be such a nuisance. But those tiny little buggers hovering around your old bananas might actually help treat Alzheimer’s. Anna Salazar’s found a link between gut health and dementia in fruit flies that may apply to humans as well. Later in the show: Close to 7 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. And as the country continues to age, the search for a cure has never been so pressing. Timothy Jarome works with elderly lab rats to understand what happens to the brain as we grow older. He was named an Outstanding Faculty member by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Plus: When we’re young, a slip or trip might result in a bruise or skinned knee. But as we grow old, falls can be dangerous - even life threatening. Michael Madigan helps elderly folks practice falling in harnesses so they can better navigate obstacles in the real world.