USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A February 21, 2020 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s blog post by journalist, author and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s advocate Greg O’Brien used the 2020 Super Bowl Google commercial to reflect on the emotion and essence of remembering. He relayed the story of his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s disease and the impact it had on him. “Weeks before his death, Grandma on her loving morning rounds was astonished one day to see Daddy George sitting up in his hospital bed. He spoke for the first time in months, and said in muted tones that he was aware of all she had done for him; he thanked her, and told her that he loved her. It was a last expression of love from the soul—testimony that those suffering from dementia and other mental handicaps still observe and can retain memories far longer than one might imagine.”

IN MEMORIAM

A February 23, 2020 NBC News Today broadcast segment announced the passing of the renown model, author, restaurateur and lifestyle maven, B. Smith, from Alzheimer’s disease. Tributes spread across social media as word of the beloved TV personality’s death spread over the weekend. Smith was known as a trailblazer and entrepreneur. She was 70 years-old. Also covered by USA Today, Bloomberg, and others.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A February 24, 2020 Medical News Today article focused on new research about the link between a combination of memory and walking speed, and increased dementia risk. Measuring gait speed and memory are simple and inexpensive, and could be added to regular checkups to assess cognition. Researchers combined data from six large studies and found, “Participants with dual decline had 5.2 to 11.7 times higher risk of developing dementia, compared with usual agers.”

BRAIN HEALTH

A February 21, 2020 Medical Xpress article looked to the Einstein Soccer Study for latest research on the connection between repeated, long-term, routine 'heading the ball' in soccer and developing dementia. This adds to ongoing research demonstrating its effects on neurocognitive performance.According to the article, “A new medical investigation involving players who had been in the game at least five years, revealed that verbal recall declined among those who frequently headed the ball and met a specific genetic profile... Evidence of cognitive impairment was strikingly apparent among study participants who headed the ball frequently, and for whom a dementia risk factor was indelibly inscribed in their DNA.”