April 25, 2017

Today’s Top Alzheimer’s News

IN MEMORIAM

An April 24, 2017 C-Span segment featured Senator Edward Markey honoring the life and work of Trish Vradenburg, the late Co-Founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. He called her a greatly respected, dear friend and esteemed ally in the national effort to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, which he termed an “international enemy.”

Trish's passing has also been noted by other outlets including: PR Newswire, among others. 

DISPARITIES SPOTLIGHT

In an April 24, 2017 UCSF video and article spotlighted a “Last Lecture” speech by Howard Pinderhughes, PhD, about the importance of community and social justice in tackling health care challenges. He spoke from personal experience referencing his grandfather, who had dementia. Pinderhughes urged the audience to “dare to dream big about what we can do,” and to be as ambitious in transforming the social elements of health as in pioneering stem cell science, revolutionizing precision medicine, and finding cures for cancer and Alzheimer’s.

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

An April 25, 2017 5 On Your Side segment and article reported on the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network trial by Washington University. Two drugs are being tested on more than 260 international participants who have a rare gene that can lead to Early Onset Familial Alzheimer's disease. 

CAREGIVER CORNER

An April 21, 2017 Sun Sentinel article focused on the uncommon phenomena of caregivers who kill their spouses. According to Donna Cohen, a University of South Florida Professor who has studied family caregiving, dementia, mercy killings and murder-suicide pacts, the killings aren’t “a malicious intentional act of hurting another human being. It’s done out of depression and desperation.” Stressed caregivers at their wits’ end may feel that killing their spouse is the most compassionate thing they can do.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

An April 23, 2017 EyesOnALZ blog post highlighted the #CrushALZ week two wrap-up. The competition to #CrushALZ will run for 14 more days (from the date of the post) and needs your support. Join StallCatchers to speed up Alzheimer’s research.