MUST READS

A January 28, 2019 NIH article reported that lowering blood pressure has a “measurable impact on mild cognitive impairment (MCI),” a dementia precursor. This is according to results from the NIH-funded Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) Memory and Cognition in Decreased Hypertension (SPRINT MIND). It does not, however, “significantly reduce dementia risk.” “This is a landmark study in that it is the first trial of its size and scope to look at a modifiable risk factor for dementia and MCI. The study had a carefully designed hypothesis, used approved appropriate tools to assess dementia and MCI, was blinded for diagnosis, and got a good sample of older people,” said senior investigator and paper co-author Lenore J. Launer, PhD.

A January 28, 2019 USA Today article spotlighted former Prince George's County (MD) Executive Rushern Baker III, whose wife, Christa, has Alzheimer’s disease. As African Americans, they are twice as likely to have AD as their white counterparts. According to Baker, “The thing I would say, especially to the African American and Latino community: ‘Don’t be afraid to speak out.’ If you think there is something wrong with a family member, they are forgetting things, it is important that you seek medical attention. Once you get the diagnosis, it is not the end of the world. There are ways to make your life and your loved one’s life as comfortable and rewarding as possible.”

HUMAN INTEREST

A January 28, 2019 The Washington Post video and article shone a spotlight on former supermodel/restauranteur B. Smith, who has Alzheimer’s disease, and her husband Dan Gasby. Gasby continues to care for B. but has now gone public about a new romantic relationship in his life. According to Gasby, “If ‘This is Us,’ and ‘Modern Family’ came together, it would be us.” 

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

A January 24, 2019 Next Avenue article profiled illustrator Nancy Carlson, whose late husband had frontotemporal dementia (FTD). During his illness, she created a visual diary of a doodle-a-day as a creative outlet for her challenges and sorrow. “To have an outlet of creativity when you’re going through a horrible time, it’s just a godsend,” said Carlson. She now plans a picture book about nursing homes and a memoir “about her husband and the impact of his illness on their lives, and his death.”   

FAITH SPOTLIGHT

A January 28, 2019 Shifting Margins blog post by Bishop Kenneth L. Carder looked at what people fear most about growing old. Top answers included, “losing my mind,” “not being able to do for myself,” “being a burden,” “running out of money,” “having to go to a nursing home,” and “being taken care of by people who don’t love me.” According to Carder, “What if the paradigm for care of the elderly were shifted from dispensing medicine to sharing love and extending hospitality, countering the fear of “being cared for by people don’t love me”? Such a shift would require honoring the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each person as a beloved child of God, regardless of his/her capacities.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Medicare.gov’s new “What’s covered” app delivers cost and coverage information to users at no charge. Search for “What’s covered” or “Medicare” in the App Store or Google Play.