MUST READS

A December 18, 2018 ABC News article looked at how assisted living facilities are failing to meet the needs of residents with dementia. The 30,000 such facilities in the U.S., which are profit-driven and not licensed or overseen by the federal government, generally do not provide skilled medical care or therapy. According to the article, “Dementia care is the fastest-growing segment of assisted living. As these residences market themselves to people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, facilities across the country are straining to deliver on their promises of security and attentive care.”

DISPARITIES SPOTLIGHT

A December 14, 2018 Cronkite News Arizona PBS article focused on the heightened risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease for older Latinos, 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanic whites. According to the article, “Members of ethnic or racial minorities often have cultural barriers that impede treatment, such as a lack of information, fear of seeking services and a general distrust of the health system, according to experts at the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute. “Minorities are the most affected,” said Dr. Ganesh Gopalakrishna, a dementia specialist at the institute. “It is crucial that we inform minority populations.””

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

A December 18, 2018 Futurism article reported that Australia’s Federal Minister for Health is designating $10 million in federal funding to Queensland Brain Institute to safety test their dementia reversal technique in humans utilizing ultrasound. Ultrasound waves temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, which aids in breaking apart and clearing toxic amyloid plaques associated with dementia. According to researcher Jurgen Gotz, “This funding will ensure we keep some of the world’s brightest minds focused on finding a cure for dementia. The goal, long-term, is to come up with an affordable, portable device, which would help the millions of Alzheimer’s patients in our country and worldwide.” Also covered by New Atlas, and ABC. 

ALZ TECH

(ICYMI) A November 9, 2018 Faegre Baker Daniels post spotlighted the FDA’s MyStudies app, which will gather data through patients’ mobile devices for clinical trials and research. According to the post, “The FDA also recognized the importance of capturing patient input, data that is lacking through traditional data sources such as claims data. By releasing the tool, FDA aims to make it easier for stakeholders to collect patient input in a way that is both meaningful to inform FDA decision making and compliant with clinical research and regulatory requirements.”

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

A December 18, 2018 21 CBS DFW broadcast segment spotlighted the “Sounds of the Season” dementia friendly concert, hosted by the James L. West Center for Dementia, and featuring the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. “It gave her joy, which is hard to find in that process of descending into dementia,” said concert sponsor Gary Cole, speaking about his wife, who was a former Center resident and died from dementia.

OPINION

A December 18, 2018 The Citizen letter to the editor by Jacqueline Miller of Peachtree City, GA implored Congress to change their thinking about Alzheimer’s disease, pass the (BOLD) Act (Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s), and “start treating it like the public health threat it is.” As caregiver for her husband, who died from AD, she understands “the disease’s impact and the physical and emotional costs of the disease.”