Recognizing Alzheimer's and Defending Against Dementia
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NewDays Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer Daniel Kelly joined hosts Mary Furlong and Fred Fishkin on episode 101 of What's Next: Living Longer, Better, Smarter, released ahead of World Alzheimer's Day. The episode, "Recognizing Alzheimer's and Defending Against Dementia," also features Dr. Elizabeth Edgerly of the Alzheimer's Association on the warning signs of Alzheimer's and Brooke Albright of Dabble Health.
Daniel explains why he moved into cognitive health after a career at the intersection of healthcare and technology, from Google X's robotic surgery project (later Verb Surgical) to Amazon's Grand Challenge, which launched Amazon Care. The motivation is personal: five of six siblings in his father's generation have been diagnosed with dementia.
Physical therapy for the mind. Daniel describes NewDays through a familiar model. After knee surgery, people work with a physical therapist. NewDays applies the same approach to cognition: telehealth visits every two weeks with a licensed clinician, plus daily conversational exercises with Sunny, our AI brain trainer. There are no buttons or menus. People simply talk, reminisce and work on specific cognitive skills, and their clinician reviews the results and folds them into the care plan.
What the evidence shows. Daniel shared NewDays' results presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in London in July 2026: for people living with dementia, about 1.5 years of cognitive function preserved, measured against published expected-decline trajectories. Since the episode, NewDays presented new data on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at INBC 2026, where each year of treatment pushed back cognitive symptoms by about 2.6 years.
Why acting early matters. Daniel talks about the fear and denial that often surround cognitive change, and why the research points to intervening as early as possible. Diagnosis and treatment work best together, and NewDays is focused on the treatment side.
How to get started. NewDays is covered by Medicare. The first step is a free consultation with a NewDays clinician at newdays.ai.
FAQ
What is NewDays?
NewDays is a science-backed, non-drug cognitive health treatment for people living with MCI and dementia. It combines telehealth visits every two weeks with licensed clinicians and daily AI-guided exercises with Sunny, our AI brain trainer.
Is NewDays covered by Medicare?
Yes. NewDays is covered by Medicare. The first step is a free consultation.
What results has NewDays reported?
At AAIC 2026, NewDays reported about 1.5 years of cognitive function preserved for people living with dementia. At INBC 2026, each year of treatment pushed back cognitive symptoms by about 2.6 years for people with MCI.
