Robert, 64. CFO of a mid-sized company. His wife brought him to me because his speech had changed. Hesitations. Filler words. Reaching for names. Long pauses where there used to be polished sentences. His company assumed it was stress. His wife had a different theory. She was right. A study from Baycrest published recently found that AI can detect early dementia from exactly these patterns: increased pauses, more filler words, less complex sentence structure. The patterns precede memory complaints by years. I have spent more than a decade in this space. I co-founded a company in 2016 that used voice as a biomarker for neurodegeneration. At the time, most people thought the idea was science fiction. Now it is mainstream research. Here is why voice is such a powerful early signal. 1. Speech is the most complex motor and cognitive task you do ↳ It requires precise coordination of breathing, articulation, language, memory, and emotion ↳ A breakdown in any of those systems shows up in speech 2. The changes happen before you notice them ↳ Subtle changes in pauses and pitch can appear years before clinical symptoms ↳ You and your family adapt without realizing it ↳ Strangers may notice before loved ones do 3. The patterns differ by disease ↳ Parkinson's affects voice volume and articulation ↳ Alzheimer's affects word retrieval and sentence complexity ↳ Frontotemporal dementia affects content and social filter 4. The technology to catch this is now mature ↳ A 3-minute speech sample can be analyzed by AI ↳ Accuracy now rivals traditional cognitive testing in some studies ↳ Scalable, non-invasive, and cheap once integrated Robert was in early stages of primary progressive aphasia, a language-led dementia. We caught it because his wife trusted what she was hearing. If someone you love is starting to speak differently and everyone is calling it stress, you might be the one who hears what others miss. 📌 Follow Reza Hosseini Ghomi, MD, MSE for the signals doctors miss

Most doctors run a memory checklist. Day. Date. Three words. I ask a different set of questions. These are the ones that tell me far more about what's happening in someone's brain than any standardized cognitive test. None of them are in the textbook. All of them came from sitting with thousands of dementia patients and their families. 1. When did you last try something new? ↳ The brain that has stopped exploring is often a brain that has stopped repairing itself ↳ When the answer is "I can't remember," that's already part of my answer 2. What's your sense of smell been like? ↳ Loss of smell can precede dementia by years ↳ Most patients have never been asked this ↳ It is one of the earliest signals of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's (in the right context) 3. Do you act out your dreams? ↳ Punching, kicking, screaming, falling out of bed ↳ REM sleep behavior disorder strongly predicts Lewy body and Parkinson's dementias ↳ Most patients don't realize this is a problem worth flagging 4. Who initiates plans in your social life? ↳ The patient who used to call friends but doesn't anymore ↳ The patient whose calendar has emptied without explanation ↳ Apathy is one of the earliest signs of frontal involvement 5. Has your driving changed? ↳ Minor scrapes on bumpers no one can explain ↳ Getting lost on familiar routes ↳ Family taking the wheel without asking ↳ Driving tells me about visuospatial and executive function 6. What does the afternoon feel like? ↳ "Sundowning" is when confusion peaks in the late afternoon ↳ Long before it's obvious, families notice "she's just not herself by dinner" ↳ A subtle pattern worth catching early 7. Can you taste your food the way you used to? ↳ Like smell, taste degrades early in some dementias ↳ Patients often blame their cooking or their seasoning ↳ The real signal is that the receptors are changing 8. How is your handwriting? ↳ Smaller, cramped writing can be an early Parkinson's sign ↳ Looser, less organized writing can signal frontotemporal involvement

Joe spent 20 years working in dementia care… and still felt overwhelmed trying to help his own dad. Different doctors. Different answers. Constant confusion. Meanwhile, he was trying to keep his father safe while carrying the emotional weight of it all. This is the side of dementia caregiving people don’t talk about enough. If you’ve ever felt exhausted, frustrated, or unheard while caring for someone with dementia, you are not alone. 🎙️ Full episode out now: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts

Right before I left for vacation, I coached a client that told me she was annoyed and angry because of what someone did. She had a compelling story. She was justified in her feelings. She said she wanted to feel angry and annoyed, and I said, "Great....that's fine... do it." But I also pointed out to her that she is the creator and owner of those feelings, not the man in her story. I wanted to empower her with this knowledge. I didn't want her to give her authority to this guy. As she spoke further, she explained in response to her annoyance she's been sneaking around, being somewhat deceitful, and thinking about what a jerk he is. And I showed her what she is creating for herself. When she makes this guy a mean giant, she behaves like a scared teenager. Not the strong, confident, amazing woman that she is. I pointed out that if she did want to see it differently, it wouldn't be to reward this man, it would be to empower herself. She agreed. We worked through it. She is not annoyed or angry any longer. She is also not justifying or agreeing with his behavior, she's just choosing to be who she wants regardless. She's confident and open. She's the master of her life experience. So are you, my friend. Really good news. Have a beautiful week! I love you all, @Jocelyn Ives