October 24, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's Coverage

Lawmakers push for increased funding for biomedical research, Peter Thiel calls Alzheimer's a massive crisis, and NIH awards grants to increase medical workforce diversity (read more). 
 

Must reads

  • An October 23, 2014 Wall Street Journal article reported that "A bipartisan pair of senators is putting together a proposal to significantly increase federal funding for biomedical research." According to the article, "Aides to Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Orrin Hatch of Utah, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, met with industry representatives this week to discuss their plan to boost funding for biomedical research by $1 billion annually over 10 years, according to people familiar with the discussion." 
  • An October 23, 2014 Silicon Hills News article reported that PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel called Alzheimer's a "massive crisis." According to the article, "While the country has made some progress in the last 40 years, we could do a lot more, Thiel said. For example, we wouldn’t even try, at this point, to declare war on Alzheimer’s, in which one out of three people at age 85 suffers from dementia, he said.“It seems like a massive crisis,” Thiel said."
  • An October 23, 2014 PBS Newshour article highlighted ways to balance the demands of a career while caring for an aging family member. According to the article, "Holding a job and caring for a frail or ill older family member at home can be a huge challenge as you attempt to balance competing demands on your time and energy. As our population ages, more families than ever are providing this care. According to studies, as many as 42 percent of working Americans — more than 54 million people — have provided eldercare in the last five years; 17 percent currently provide care. The average age of caregivers is 49 — a peak year for earnings and for career achievement. Women take on slightly more responsibility for care, but men are greatly impacted, as well."
Entertainment 
  • An October 23, 2014 The New York Times article highlighted the Glen Campbell documentary "I’ll Be Me." According to the article, "If he’s handed a guitar, “sometimes a melody will come out,” she said, “but often it’s very dissonant and doesn’t make sense.” She continued: “But our son Shannon was with him just the other day, and Glen just sounded out the melody for ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix.’ So I do think that music is still the most deeply embedded thing in him, and it’s a delight when it comes back.”"