Honoring His Father’s Legacy
For as long as Nathaniel Chin can remember, he's looked up to his father.
"When we were kids, he would take us all over the world," Chin said.
Each trip was filled with passion for travel, something his father passes on to him.
"We went to Europe a few times. We went to China, because he's of Chinese descent; I'm half. We went to Australia," Chin said. "He just loved to experience different cultures and experience different people."
Also like his father, Chin chose a career in medicine. It's a career that moved Chin out to California for five years to study and work.
"I didn’t believe my mom when she said there were changes going on with my dad," Chin said. "When I noticed it on the phone, I didn't really believe it. It was probably when he couldn't do things physically, I started to realize this is real."
Chin's father was battling Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Chin changed his career focus to geriatrics and moved from California to Wisconsin to help his mother as a caregiver to his father.
A lot of families go through this diagnosis with loved ones. Alzheimer’s disease is the only cause of death among the top 10 in America that cannot be cured or even slowed. It impacts more than five million Americans age 65 and older.
Although Dr. Chin’s father succumbed to the disease, he continues to honor his father’s memory through his work.
Chin had a lot of questions, questions he now tries to answer with a new resource for his patients.
Dr. Chin is now a University of Wisconsin Health Geriatrician who works with the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and a new podcast Dementia Matters.
It's a podcast that offers basic information about Alzheimer's disease.
"I ask them about their research or their findings, and I try to relate it the best that I can to the community," Chin said.
Chin interviews experts on topics ranging from gender differences in Alzheimer’s disease to lifetime stress and brain health.
"It's that not knowing that creates so much anxiety and stress," Chin said. "From a personal perspective, I wanted to address that, and from a professional perspective, I wanted my patients to have more information than what I was giving them during a clinic."
Alzheimer’s disease does not have a cure, however, Chin said the research being done to find one often reveals other information that can help families.
"I believe those factors can contribute to a person's course," Chin said. "So I believe if we address those early enough, we may modify a person's course."
The goal of the podcast: take scientific information and translate it to as many people as possible in an easier way to understand.
"Alzheimer’s disease could be the greatest disease we've ever faced because it's our own bodies changing," Chin said. "It's not something foreign. Because it's so complex, we're often in the dark. We often don't understand what's going on."
Not knowing if memories will stay in the minds of loved ones is even harder, even when they're as colorful and unforgettable as trips around the world.
"Because the not knowing can be addressed, the stress the anxiety and sadness of this disease can be addressed," Chin said. "It can't be cured like the disease right now, but we can do more for our community. This podcast is the beginning of that."
There is a new podcast every other Tuesday. You can listen to episodes on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play.
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