(WAVY) — There are 164,000 people in Virginia age 65 and older who suffer from Alzheimer’s, but two new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration could offer hope to those in the early stages.
10 On Your Side spoke with Norman Colpitts, 75, who has been on one of these new drugs for a year-and-a-half.
It began with a gentle nudge from Norman’s wife, Susan. “She said, ‘You know, you’ve been slipping a little bit, maybe you should get a test,’” Norman Colpitts said. The former elementary school teacher lost both parents to dementia and was concerned. He decided to take a short memory test. After the results came back, his doctor suggested he take a more in-depth memory test. Then, his doctor suggested a PET (positron emission tomography) scan. which provides 3D images inside the body to show how organs and tissues function. “He brought it up on the screen and there was this kind of ink splotch,” Norman Colpitts said. “And he said that’s it. You got it.”…