MUST READS

According to a February 2, 2018 McKnight’s Senior Living article, this week a group of 14 senators asked President Trump to boost Alzheimer's disease research funding in the 2019 budget. The senators wrote in a letter to the President, “Alzheimer's is one of our nation's leading causes of death, and it is the only one of our nation's deadliest diseases without an effective means of prevention, treatment or cure. If nothing is done to change the trajectory of Alzheimer's, the number of Americans afflicted with the disease is expected to more than triple by 2050.” 

A February 1, 2018 CBS New York article reported that the Senate just approved a bill, the bipartisan Missing Americans Alert Act, alloting $10 million for Alzheimer’s assistance. The bill will provide tracking and training for law enforcement when people with dementia wander off and get lost. The bill must now be passed by the House of Representatives.

MUST LISTEN

A February 1, 2018 WBUR “All Things Considered” radio segment interviewed Dr. Reisa Sperling of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women's Hospital. According to Sperling, the current aim is to test drugs earlier on people with amyloid build-up, who don’t yet show signs of cognitive decline. “We’ve been testing these drugs when the amyloid’s already been in the brain for 10 or 20 years, rather than testing it at the time that the build-up is happening.” She compares it to giving statins to someone already in cardiac arrest, as opposed to as preventative treatment.

YOUTH FOCUS

A January 31, 2018 Jennings Daily News article highlighted members of the Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church youth group (in Louisiana), grades six to eight, who are sewing stimulation activity mats and vests for senior citizens with Alzheimer’s. According to Youth Minister Melody Trahan, “I began searching online for more sewing projects and discovered these texture and activity mats for Alzheimer’s patients. The mats were designed to include various textured materials for patients to feel, stimulating or comforting them through the sense of touch. I thought this would be a good project for the group to not only learn and practice sewing skills and techniques but also to do something to help others.”

CAREGIVING CORNER

A Being Patient Voices post by Aaron Clark spoke about his experience with Alzheimer’s in his family. Both his father and grandmother died from the disease. According to Clark, “Use your skill set. Find ways that you can help the primary caregivers. I work in the financial sector, so I helped my mother and sister figure out how to get my father qualified for Medicare and Medicaid. Since my father was the one who had been working and needed to retire, I also helped my mother move funds around.”

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

A February 1, 2018 U.S. News article spotlighted the work of Act on Alzheimer's and FamilyMeans, which is making Minnesota communities more dementia friendly. Volunteers train businesses how to interact with people with dementia and host support groups for caregivers. They also offer resources such as “compassion cards,” which caregivers show to people in the community so they will be more patient and understanding of the condition. The card reads, "My companion lives with a form of dementia. Please show us patience today.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

A January 19, 2018 The New York Times article featured a free guide, created by Dr. Barak Gaster of the University of Washington, to assist families in creating dementia-specific advanced directives. The document is a five-page summary of options to help people get ahead of an Alzheimer’s or other dementia diagnosis.

The Health Resources & Services Administration Health Workforce created a free curriculum—16 core modules and four supplemental modules—for health educators to train the primary care workforce about dementia care, and to help providers address caregiver needs. The curriculum is for health professions faculty, students, primary care practitioners, members of the inter-professional geriatrics care team and direct service workers.