USA2 SPOTLIGHT

An October 19, 2017 The Georgetown Dish article spotlighted the WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s Trish Vradenburg Out of the Shadows Dinner in Washington, DC, part of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s 2017 National Alzheimer’s Summit. The dinner featured celebrities, Congressional leaders, members of the Administration, well-known Washington philanthropists, corporate sponsors, individual supporters, researchers and other Alzheimer’s leaders, and raised more than $1 million.

An October 19, 2017 Financial Advisor article reported that Ric and Jean Edelman, founders of Edelman Financial Services, offered $25 million to the XPRIZE competition focused on development of innovative approaches to Alzheimer's disease. According to Age Wave Founder Ken Dychtwald, PhD, "With steadily increasing longevity, it's hard to look at the future without realizing that Alzheimer's disease may very well be the biggest challenge we're going to face this century. With one in three people over the age of 85 stricken with this horrific disease, this coming pandemic doesn't only affect the elderly — it impacts all of us: our moms, dads, wives, husbands, kids and friends." Also covered by: KLTV News, WAFB  TulsaCW, Crossroads Today and TMCNet, among others. 

MUST READS

An October 20, 2017 Medical News Today article focused on a new study looking at patients with mild cognitive impairment, and the time it takes to process written words as a predictor of Alzheimer’s disease. According to lead study author Dr. Ali Mazaheri, "A prominent feature of Alzheimer's is a progressive decline in language; however, the ability to process language in the period between the appearance of initial symptoms of Alzheimer's to its full development has scarcely previously been investigated."

An October 19, 2017 The New York Times article looked at simple ways to improve memory in our distraction-prone culture. Memory is a fallible thing, changing over time, a reconstruction, not a photographic recording. Specific techniques can assist our memory better such as uninterrupted attention to one task, repetition and slowing down. 

According to an October 19, 2017 Medical Xpress article and video, a new paper shows how PET (positron emission tomography) scans could benefit some patients with suspected Alzheimer's disease. The Amyloid-PET imaging (API) scan shows build-up of beta-amyloid proteins. It may be most useful in younger patients with suspected early-onset dementia, where clinical features may not be as typical as in elderly patients.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

An October 19, 2017 KJZZ audio segment and article, part of "The State of Aging in the Valley" series, explores the reality of an aging society. Mexico’s demographics are quickly changing, and an exponential increase of the elder population will likely result in more people with dementia. There is a lack of resources to help dementia patients. According to Alzheimer México Director Regina Altena, “The cultural and social changes are also taking place in Mexico, so they will face the same problems like in the US.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Come to the panel discussion and book signing, “The Wide Circumference of Love and D.C.’s History with Alzheimer’s,” at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. Tomorrow - Saturday, October 21, 1–2:30pm at the Newseum’s Documentary Theater. The panel includes AfricanAmericansAgainstAlzheimer’s Executive Director Stephanie Monroe, Author Marita Golden, Washington Post Magazine Editor Marcia Davis, Gary Williams, and Moderator Izetta Autumn Mobley. The event is free but registration is required.