April 09, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

PBS NewsHour explores the changing face of caregiving, the need for public and private collaboration to fight Alzheimer's, and a new report highlights the "grandma effect" (read more). 
 

Must reads and watch

  • An April 8, 2014 PBS NewsHour broadcast segment underscored the growing challenges caregivers face as more and more Americans are tasked with taking care of loved ones with diseases like Alzheimer's. According to the article, "For the 42 million Americans who take care of loved ones at home, the responsibilities of care -- once the purview of trained nurses -- have become increasingly complex. AARP has begun to advocate for greater caregiver support through public policy and legislation, but the health care industry may be wary of additional regulation. Special correspondent Kathleen McCleery reports."
  • An April 8, 2014 The Hill opinion piece by Robert J. Hugin urged the public, private, and academic sectors to "collaborate to ensure the health of our nation's ecosystem of innovation -- and to secure the medical and fiscal rewards it offers." According to Hugin, "But there are still many more problems for biomedical research to solve. Over the next 20 years, the number of new cancer cases is projected to increase by more than 50 percent, according to the World Health Organization. The incidence of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia in the United States will double by 2050.Curing diseases like these will require substantial investments of time and money. Indeed, developing the average pharmaceutical drug takes over a decade and costs more than a billion dollars." Hugin is chairman and CEO of Celgene Corporation and chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
  • An April 8, 2014 WBUR (Boston NPR) article reported on a new report from The North American Menopause Society that found "grandmothers who care for their grandkids once a week experience a boost in mental sharpness. But if that one day of cozy caregiving expands to five or more days a week, it can put grandma on edge, and her brain can grow duller, with more memory and other cognitive problems." Read the report here