USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Take our latest A-LIST “What Matters Most: Early Cognitive Assessment” survey. The A-LIST partnered with Quest Diagnostics to gain insights to help doctors and other clinicians understand what matters most to us when it comes to early cognitive assessment, modifying risk and managing brain health. A-LIST is an initiative of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

MUST READS

An August 20, 2018 Chicago Magazine article spotlighted a virtual-reality training program created by Carrie Shaw. The goals are twofold: to foster greater understanding and empathy about the conditions people with dementia face, and to create a more effective and compassionate delivery of healthcare and support services. Before creating the program Shaw pondered, “Why can’t we visualize what people are experiencing? And if we could do that, could we be better healthcare providers?”

An August 17, 2018 The Conversation article highlighted the benefits of taking a multicultural look at dementia. According to the article, “Perhaps the time has come to expand our thinking about dementia to encompass not only cellular but cultural perspectives. Our society needs to recognize that dementia is not only a brain disorder of the person suffering from it but also a social disorder that can be understood in a variety of different ways. In other contexts, such disorders tend to be viewed in light of a larger circle of social relationships and cultural traditions. All generalizations must be qualified, but we have much to learn from other cultures.”

OPINION

Two August 20, 2018 Boston Globe opinion pieces [subscription] referenced the new Massachusetts law focused on improving diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. According to Thomas H. Friedman, “I have experienced firsthand the bewilderment of doctors and nurses in Massachusetts’ hospitals when dealing with dementia. By passing legislation requiring medical professionals to understand the basics of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative cognitive disorders, our state is taking a huge step forward in care for a fast-growing baby boomer population.” 

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

According to an August 20, 2018 NZ Herald article, a report by the Human Rights Commission uncovered legal and ethical issues around elderly care in New Zealand. According to the article, "The report finds many residents in care lack the capacity to make decisions about where they would prefer to live. Instead, others are making the decisions for them. Disability Rights Commissioner and acting Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero said the report was "concerning to read... Very few of these people have formally consented to being held in these locked facilities.””

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

An August 20, 2018 CNN article spotlighted the “Photographic Treatment,” photo-intervention book by Laurence Aëgerter. The book is a photo series to benefit people with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. The photos trigger memories, unlocking stories in the elderly, where they recall events from when they were aged 15-25, the so-called ‘reminiscence bump.’ “People with dementia have kind of a sixth sense for what is authentic or not,” said Aëgerter.