Louise Fisher on Alan’s Diagnosis: “Life Is Not Over. Life Has Just Changed.”

Louise Fisher’s husband, Alan, spent his career at the CDC compiling the nation’s public health data. Then Alzheimer’s became part of their story. Diagnosed at 65, Alan asked: “How can I help?” 

In this episode, Louise shares how they spent five more active years together, why she chooses not to correct Alan’s version of reality, and how caregiving taught her to build a team instead of facing it alone.

In This Episode:

Your Host: Emily Kaplan

Our Guest:

Louise Fisher, Alzheimer’s caregiver and advocate for early testing. Her husband, Alan, a public health statistician, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 65.

This Episode Explores:

• Why does Louise Fisher call early diagnosis an act of agency rather than surrender?
• How did Alan’s participation in a clinical trial give him purpose?
• Why did Louise choose not to correct Alan when he forgot things?
• What does Louise Fisher’s caregiver support team actually include?
• How can someone gently suggest testing to a reluctant partner?

Why Louise Fisher Calls Early Diagnosis an Act of Agency

When Alan Fisher was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 65, he didn’t respond as a victim; he asked how he could help. 

Louise says that response shaped everything that followed. Alan enrolled in a clinical trial for 18 months, telling her he wanted to be part of the solution, not a bystander to his own disease.

Diagnosis also gave the couple a five-year runway while Alan could still travel, make decisions, and sign his own paperwork. They took the trip to Norway he’d always wanted, and Alan tracked down family genealogy records before handing them down to his grandchildren. 

As Louise puts it, “Our dreams aren’t over, they’ve just changed, but we still have life, and we still have dreams, and you get to them.” That’s the whole argument for testing early: It gives a family agency, not fear.

How Louise Fisher Learned It’s Kinder Not to Correct Alan

Alan’s neurologist never told him directly that he had Alzheimer’s. He told Louise instead, and she calls that choice a kindness. For years afterward, Alan told friends he’d “beaten” the disease, and Louise let him believe it.

She stopped correcting him when he forgot things or repeated stories, choosing deflection and humor instead, like suggesting a young accountant take over the taxes rather than pointing out that Alan could no longer manage them himself. 

Later, as Alan moved into a day program, staff leaned into his identity as a former public health professional, letting him treat the space like an office. Louise’s philosophy is simple: Reminding someone of what they’ve lost rarely helps.

What Louise Fisher’s Caregiver Toolkit Actually Looks Like

Louise built a team instead of trying to manage Alan’s care alone: a therapist, a financial planner, a case manager, and eventually a day program and secure care facility. 

Her advice for approaching a reluctant partner isn’t to mention Alzheimer’s at all. She suggests simply asking for “a baseline,” since memory changes can come from dozens of treatable causes, like vitamin deficiencies or dehydration, not just dementia. 

Support groups, she says, made the biggest difference in helping her feel less alone. She also gave herself permission to take care of her own health first.

Watch the episode to hear Louise’s full story and advice for caregivers navigating fear, decision-making, and the search for support.