January 25, 2017

Today’s Top Alzheimer’s News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A January 24, 2017 New York Times article reviews, “Alzheimer’s: Every Minute Counts,” the PBS documentary, by Elizabeth Arledge, premiering tonight. The words “tsunami” and “sinkhole” are used to describe Alzheimer’s in the film, and focuses on the likelihood that AD numbers will increase significantly as the baby-boom generation ages and life spans lengthen, overwhelming both families and the elder-care system. Alzheimer’s will sap personal savings and government aid programs. “Alzheimer’s will be the financial sinkhole of the 21st century,” says George Vradenburg, Chairman of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

A January 24, 2017 Springfield News-Leader article profiles Daisy Duarte, Springfield resident and LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s caregiver advocate, who is featured in the PBS documentary, “Alzheimer’s: Every Minute Counts.” “When my mom got bad it was a matter of my mom or my dream, and my mom comes first for anything,” said Duarte, who owned Da Cubby Hole Sports Bar on South Campbell, but closed it to care for Cardona.


MUST READS

A January 25, 2017 Civil Society article reports that David Cameron, former UK Prime Minister, has been appointed as President of Alzheimer’s Research UK. While in office, Cameron launched the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge in 2012, and the Alzheimer’s Research UK’s £100m Defeat Dementia fundraising campaign in 2014. Cameron called dementia, “one of the biggest challenges we face today – and one that we as a society simply cannot afford to ignore any longer.”

A January 24, 2017 The Hill blog talks about a serious shortage of “direct care,” long-term care workers (including personal care aides, home healthcare workers and nursing assistants) all across the nation. For years, experts predicted an eventual crisis of healthcare and long-term care workforce shortages, and now the effects are being felt everywhere. The causes are low wages, meager benefits (a result of low Medicaid funding) and marginal career advancement opportunities. The new administration should theoretically deal with this problem, yet early indications of the Trump administration suggest animosity toward our national health care arrangements, including Medicaid, as well as a virtual disregard for older people and people living with disabilities.


CAREGIVER CORNER

A January 23, 2017 blog by Elaine M. Eshbaugh, PhD, called “Dementia Land,” describes itself as: “living, loving, and laughing through Alzheimer’s and related dementias.” Eshbaugh turned to Facebook to find the “unfiltered” story of dementia through support groups and educational outlets. “Although I spend time at face-to-face support groups and chat frequently with dementia families, nowhere is there a more honest representation of where people affected by dementia (primarily caregivers) are than in private Facebook groups. There’s a certain comfort in being relatively anonymous when you need to rant,” shares Eshbaugh.