BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (WJW) — June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month and doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are optimistic about new treatments and clinical trials for patients.

College sweethearts Jenny and Joe Knapp have been married for nearly 50 years.

Daily walks through their Bay Village neighborhood have become the norm, ever since Jenny was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2015, at the age of 65.

“I just couldn’t remember, you know, sometimes the days of the week or ‘Where did I put my glasses?’ — that kind of thing,” Jenny said. “My grandmother on my mother’s side and then my mom got it later. So I knew it was coming down the pike, as they say.”

Jenny has been part of several clinical trials at the Cleveland Clinic, and is currently receiving monthly infusions to help slow the progression of the disease, as there is no cure.

“If you can buy yourself another five years, that’s considered to be successful,” said her husband Joe.

Current research shows Alzheimer’s diagnoses are more common than ever, typically in older people and anyone who has ever experienced a traumatic brain injury.

An estimated 6.7 million Americans age 65 and older are currently living with Alzheimer’s, and almost two-thirds of those patients are women.

“Probably the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is age,” said Dr. James Leverenz, the director of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health at the Cleveland Clinic.

He says early detection is key.

“In fact, there’s a lot of effort to try to catch people even before they develop symptoms because we know the changes in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s can be going on for 10 years before symptoms start,” he said.

In the meantime, Jenny Knapp, a mother and grandmother, says a healthy lifestyle and family support gives her the strength to keep going.

“With Joe’s help and God’s help, I feel like I’m doing a lot of running and walking and I’ve got my head up and I’m not gonna give up.”

Knapp will complete the clinical trial at the Cleveland Clinic in October, when doctors will be able to determine if it has been effective.

She and her husband were also recently honored globally for their clinical trial participation and for bringing awareness to the disease.