Julianne Moore talks brain health during Alzheimer's Awareness Month

Welcome everyone. Well, November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month and a reminder that taking care of our brains is just as important as taking care of our bodies. So Academy Award winning actress Julianne Moore gained a deeper understanding of Alzheimer's while preparing for her role in Still Alice. So she's partnering with Lilly on the Brain Health Matters campaign, encouraging people to be proactive about brain health. And Julianne is joining us this morning here in Atlanta. She is in New York. And Julianne, it's so good to have you on with us. Good morning. Hi, good morning. It's nice to be here. Hey, the timing of this is perfect. Of course, look, we mentioned this being Alzheimer's Awareness Month. So let's start with this. You're in your second year of the campaign, the Brain Health Matters campaign. So what's the message that you're trying to get across and what's new this year? Well, it's still the same message with the Brain Health Matters campaign is to talk to your doctor about your cognitive health, to ask for an assessment, to talk about your risk factors. And I think the newest thing is that if you're experiencing memory and thinking issues, there is a blood test now that you can take. It's called P-Tau 217. So that's the big news. But honestly, it really is about taking control of your health and being proactive and I think I think normalizing talking about it. The brain is the control center for the body, so it's really very, very important to know where you are. Sure. You know, you talk about being proactive, and that's a message that we keep getting. And that's important, you know, to think about this before something goes wrong, which is when it typically becomes part of the conversation. So, Julianne, why would you say that we need to be paying more attention to this much earlier? Well, I think there are lifestyle factors that really can change. Thank you very much. In terms of your brain health, I mean, exercise, nutrition, heart health, social engagement, all of those things can really be preventative measures for your brain. So knowing about that, paying attention to it, knowing if you're getting enough sleep. And then, of course, if you, you know, if you are having memory or thinking issues and you do opt for the brain test and find out that you are in... Early stages of the disease, there are protocols that you and your doctor can discuss. You mentioned that test. I heard you talk about that. But let's say you're noticing that you are having some changes in memory or thinking, or maybe a family member is having some changes. Julianne, what should you do? Go to your doctor. Go to your doctor right away. I think this idea, you know, what's been interesting for me learning about Alzheimer's, and particularly when I made Still Alice all those years ago, I think there were a lot of people who felt that Alzheimer's was a condition of aging. It's not. It's actually a disease. It's a pathology. So I think sitting around and kind of trying to ignore something or thinking something's going to get better on its own. No, it's like really go to a medical professional and discuss your options. I'm so glad you said that. Important So one of the things that I know I've heard when it comes to Alzheimer's and just things that can be good for your brain is to keep learning and to maybe learn something new. So when it comes to you, I know you're an advocate of this. Is there anything new that you've taken on? I mean, one of the great things about being an actor is that you're always a beginner. Every time you take on a role, there's something that you don't know how to do. It might be flower arranging. It might be scuba diving. It might be horseback riding or a language. I like, you know, I like trying to learn languages. I'm never entirely successful, but I find that to be really stimulating. I remember, you know, learning American Sign Language for a movie. I thought that was fascinating, and it really does. It does activate your brain in a completely different way. Yeah, those are some great ideas. And while you were talking, I was thinking about what I'm trying to learn mahjong. Have you tried to do that? No, but a girlfriend of mine was just telling me about it the other night. And that's great, too, because it could be a brand new skill. But it's also socializing. You're doing it with a group of people. And that kind of social engagement is so good for your brain. Yeah, find your thing, whatever it may be. You know, what I think is so interesting about your involvement in this is it's It's not every day. I mean, obviously, you're a mega-famous actress. We've seen you in countless projects, Julianne, but it's not often that we see an actor or an actress take, you know, something that they felt strongly about from a role and take on advocacy for that after. So what was it about Alzheimer's and brain health from, you know, your role in Still Alice that's made you do what you're doing now? I think there was such a lack of information about it. I found that there were people that were coming to me to ask questions. And I was like, well, you know, I was just in a movie. I can tell you what I learned. But it was really fascinating how... How much people want to know, how much they care, and how much better they feel when they realize that it is an actual disease, that it is a pathology. And I think with anything regarding our health, the more information we have, the better. One more question before we let you go, Julianne. What would you say is the one thing that you hope that people do after hearing our conversation today? I hope they go to the website, which is brainhealthmatters.com, because there's so much information there. It's so comprehensive. So if this is something that you're wondering about and you're thinking about next steps, it's a place that you can go. And, of course, the other thing that you should do, that we should all do, is speak to your doctor about it. Make it a regular part of a checkup. Important reminders for us, an important conversation we're having today about brain health and Alzheimer's on this Alzheimer's Awareness Month. So Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore. Julianne, thank you so much for checking in with us here in Atlanta. Thank you. Nice to talk to you. And for more Alzheimer's Awareness Month info, you can head to brainhealthmatters.com, like Julianne mentioned, and we'll share a link to this on our website, fox5atlanta.com. Just look under the Good Day section. You'll find it there.