USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A March 1, 2019 LWVeney blog post by UsA2 advocate and caregiver Loretta Veney chronicled her Virtual Dementia Tour at BrightStar Care to learn what it feels like to have dementia. Special gloves and painful shoe inserts simulate feelings caused by neuropathy, headphones blast noise and myopic glasses blur and limit visit, completing the tour “tools.” According to Veney, “I highly recommend that anyone who works with or loves and cares for someone with dementia take the Virtual Dementia Tour. When the tour is over, you have a much deeper level of empathy that it’s impossible to have without participating in the experience… God knows I have a much better understanding now of what it’s like to have dementia...”

MUST READS

A March 2, 2019 The New York Times article spotlighted the marriage of Molly Fogel and John Fisher III, who came together over Alzheimer’s disease. Fisher’s late mom had AD and Fogel works at Alzheimer's Foundation of America. They met in an airport, struck up a conversation and kept in touch so she could help him find resources. According to the article, “Mr. Fisher, whose mother passed away from Alzheimer’s-related complications in January, said that “her last gift to me was to bring Molly into my life. She’s the one who got us together,” he said. “She lived long enough to see us happy and settled, and for that I know she was thankful.””

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

A March 1, 2019 The Times guest column by Kelly Petterson, who is the head of membership and marketing at the Ottawa YMCA, wrote about the connection between Alzheimer’s disease and the YMCA members and staff she serves and works alongside. According to Petterson, “We see couples bringing their spouses to the Y with them to get exercise, sometimes walking the track while holding hands… And then there's the day they show up alone. That day we know is the most difficult. That marks the first time they have trusted their beloved to the care of strangers. Yet not all are spouses. We also know the siblings or parents of those suffering from this cruel disease.”

OPINION

A March 1, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece by UCSF genetics researcher Rahul Desikan, MD, PhD, who has ALS, delves into why we haven’t yet found cures for Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. Neurodegenerative diseases are heterogenous and may be collections of disorders, therefore numerous processes underlie each condition. According to Desikan, “We need to stop using a “catch all” treatment framework for ALS - and for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative conditions - because what we have been doing is not working... Ultimately, the cure to Alzheimer’s and ALS will be different for each individual.”

HUMAN INTEREST

A March 1, 2019 Fox News slide show revealed that actress Katherine Helmond (“Who’s the Boss” and “Soap”)  passed away from Alzheimer’s complications. She was 89 and died in her home in Los Angeles.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

A March 2, 2019 Aiken Standard article spotlighted a new, proposed bill in South Carolina to help facilitate early detection of Alzheimer’s disease by increasing education and awareness about timely diagnosis and how to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Data shows that South Carolina has a higher AD mortality rate than most states. According to the bill’s primary sponsor Sen. Tom Young, “Early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or any other dementia-related illness are essential to ensure the best possible medical care and outcomes for the persons and families affected by these diseases. Passing this legislation will help do that for more people in South Carolina.”