November 19, 2013

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

The impact of Alzheimer's on women, Senator Susan Collins and Dr. Don Peterson call on Congress to double Alzheimer's research funding in 2015, and Utah editorial board calls on readers to make personal investment in flighting Alzheimer's (read more). 
 
 

Must reads

  • A November 19, 2013 Forbes article by freelance writer Lisa Wirthman highlighted Alzheimer's disproportionate impact on women. The article quotes USA2 co-founder Trish Vradenburg as saying, "I wanted to stop the cycle...Anytime you see this up close, you know how awful it is." Meryl Comer, president of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative, stated, "We know the bankrupting reality, we know the details nobody wants to hear...We don’t want to be a burden to our children. We need to act now and declare Alzheimer’s disease as unacceptable for our future. We need to mean it if we are to rescue the next generation.”
  • A November 18, 2013 Parade opinion piece by Senator Susan Collins and Dr. Don Peterson called on the President and Congress to make Alzheimer's a national priority and double Alzheimer's disease research in 2015. According to the authors, "If we fail to change the disease’s current trajectory, our country will not only face a mounting public health crisis, but an economic one as well…If we are to prevent this, it is imperative that we dramatically increase our investment in Alzheimer’s disease research…We are therefore calling on the President and Congress to double the amount we currently spend on Alzheimer’s disease research in 2015.  This would be a down payment on our ultimate goal of meeting the $2 billion target over the next five years.Finding a way to effectively prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025 is an ambitious goal.  But the stakes are simply too high for our nation not to rise to the challenge."
  • A November 18, 2013 Standard-Examiner (UT) editorial called for increased Alzheimer's research funding and for personal investment in the fight against Alzheimer's. According to the editorial, "...we can do more than merely lobby for more funding. Become personal advocates to fight Alzheimer's by donating money, and time, which includes participating in efforts such as clinical trials."
Research 
  • A November 18, 2013 Wall Street Journal article reported that "The family of Dolby Laboratories Inc. founder Ray Dolby plans to invest in an Australian dementia-testing company—two months after the American sound pioneer died from leukemia while battling Alzheimer’s disease." According to the article, "Melbourne-based Cogstate Ltd.said Tuesday that Mr. Dolby’s widow, Dagmar, would invest around 3 million Australian dollars (US$2.8 million) in the company, which counts Cognigram as its flagship product. Cognigram is a computerized tool that allows doctors to test and track early cognitive decline, best known as the first stage of dementia, in their surgeries."