USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Please join UsA2 Founding Board Member Meryl Comer and host Lakelyn Hogan of Home Instead Senior Care for “A Caregiver’s Personal Journey” live chat, discussing the personal experience of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 1pm (EST). You can submit live questions during the chat, or send ahead of time to: [email protected]. 

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

An October 12, 2018 News Medical Life Sciences article reported that selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRI medication) can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease by delaying the development and growth of amyloid-beta. According to the article, “Though further testing is required, the researchers believe the knowledge can one day inform how healthcare providers approach treatment in patients with both depression and Alzheimer's, perhaps leading to the use of SSRIs as an early intervention for people who have a family history of dementia.”

YOUTH FOCUS

Join the Hilarity for Charity fundraising competition, running October 15 to November 30, 2018, for college students to throw their own events to raise money for Alzheimer’s disease. Since 2014, participants have raised over $300,000. Students can participate in a cutting-edge educational program helping them to care for their brain.

Leda Rosenthal, the 22-year-old creator of Alz You Need, will speak at the Aging 2.0 conference in San Francisco (November 14-15, 2018). Alz You Need is a technology platform created to help families find the right technology for their Alzheimer’s and dementia caregiving needs. According to Rosenthal, “My caregiving journey began in 2015 when my mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease during my first year at college. Now, three years later, brain health and caregiving consume my life as my mom steadily progresses into the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease. They call Alzheimer’s the slow goodbye, and each day, the truth of that metaphor becomes increasingly real for me.”

CAREGIVING CORNER

An October 12, 2018 Next Avenue article featured the work of ALZLA (Alzheimer’s Los Angeles), which won the 2018 Innovation in Health Care Award from The SCAN Foundation. According to the article, “As part of its work, ALZLA provides services to individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid through its Dementia Cal MediConnect Project. The project is part of a pilot program in 13 states through the federal Financial and Administrative Alignment Initiative, which is under the auspices of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).” 

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Attend in person or virtually the 6th International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound 2018. October 21-25, 2018 in Reston, Virginia. The program will explore the latest in using focused ultrasound to treat a variety of conditions. Alzheimer’s disease and the brain will be discussed beginning in the afternoon of October 22, 2018. See the full schedule here.