Watch. Penny. Ring.

Remember those words.

When Dennis Bennett, at the end of a doctor’s appointment couldn’t, his doctor said he would need to start treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease.

However, the doctor, Dennis and wife Sandy’s family practitioner, did not say Alzheimer’s was the diagnosis. He just started Dennis on medication for cognitive impairment.

Which is when the Fountain Hills couple went to work to learn – and change – everything they could about Alzheimer’s.

“In 2011, we noticed Dennis having cognitive problems,” Sandy said. “We waited to do anything about it and finally went to our family doctor.”

The journey has taken them in a number of directions. They bought books. They spoke to experts. They visited an herbalist in Phoenix. Dennis started a gluten-free diet. Everything seemed to help.

In 2017, the couple moved to a new home. During that time, they would grab fast food or other convenient things to eat. Things that were not gluten-free.

“Dennis began getting worse quickly,” Sandy said.

At that time, the couple started with a new family doctor, who ultimately sent them to Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

“The Barrow doctors were all in,” Sandy said. “They put us on a keto diet, supplements and started an exercise program.”

Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, who is now with the Cleveland Clinic, is considered one of the leading experts in Alzheimer’s and dementia and was their doctor at Barrow. He left Phoenix, however, and the Bennetts were back to square one.

In their quest to stop the Alzheimer’s progression, the couple attended a free lecture by Ankit Chander, M.D., who practices integrative medicine in Scottsdale.

He spoke of diet, exercise, medicine, supplementation, hydration and brain stimulation.

“Dr. Chander thinks outside the box,” Sandy said. “He is creative and very concerned with his patients.”

One of the things Chander looked at was the possible cause of Dennis’ Alzheimer’s. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s and no single cause.

“As with cancer, Alzheimer’s isn’t just one disease,” Sandy said.

She said with their doctor’s help, they have determined that insulin resistance and inflammation in the brain could be causes of Dennis’ Alzheimer’s.

That information can help with an individual’s treatment.

Dennis also has participated in a clinical trial. He had 12 visits with the Pacific Research Network in San Diego, two of which were six-day-long examinations at the clinic and two-hour infusions of experimental drugs.

“Those seemed to help a great deal,” Sandy said.

Sandy and Dennis may be unusual in their dedication to keep the disease from advancing. At 77, Dennis has experienced the scariest parts of the disease from memory problems, “sundowning,” personality flattening, anxiety and other symptoms.

But after long, arduous and exacting work, the Bennetts lead a pleasant life.

“Dennis’s personality has come back, and his sense of humor definitely is back,” Sandy said. “Dr. Chander said we will do everything we can to keep Dennis out of a nursing home, and it may be possible to raise his cognitive scores. We are creating an environment in his (Dennis) head so that he can do well.”

While Sandy is clearly Dennis’s advocate, Dennis is his own supporter, as well.

“I may live until I’m 108,” he said. “And that would be fine with me.”

And if Sandy has her say, it is more than fine with her. When asked how she has learned how to do such thorough and intensive research for her husband, she answered quickly.

“I love that man,” she said. “I just adore him. He has given me every reason to work this hard to help him.”

Sandy will present “Slowing the Alzheimer’s Progression” in November. Sandy is committed to her cause and said she will always be glad to share her resources with those who need help.

“I want to be there to help others,” she said. “I am not a doctor, and I am not a speaker, but if we can help other people, I think it is something we have to do.”