November 04, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Japan's growing elder care crisis, Car Talk radio host dies from Alzheimer's, and "Surviving Grace" heads to Indiana (read more). 

Must reads
    • A November 3, 2014 Bloomberg article highlighted Japan's growing elder care crisis. According to the article, "That dynamic has given rise to a growing elderly care crisis in Japan, where more than 10,000 seniors with dementia went missing last year, according to the National Police Agency. Some disappear for years, others never return or are eventually found dead. Caretakers have snapped, injuring or even killing their loved ones. In 2012, 27 seniors in Japan were murdered or died from neglect, although it’s unclear how many suffered from dementia."
    • A November 3, 2014 NPR article reported that NPR radio personality Tom Magliozzi died of complications from Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Tom and his brother, Ray, became famous as "Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers" on the weekly NPR show Car Talk. They bantered, told jokes, laughed and sometimes even gave pretty good advice to listeners who called in with their car troubles. If there was one thing that defined Tom Magliozzi, it was his laugh. It was loud, it was constant, it was infectious."
    USA2 highlights 
    • A November 3, 2014 WBAA article highlighted the Indiana production of "Surviving Grace" and its role in opening eyes to Alzheimer's. According to the article, "National Public Radio host Diane Rehm plays the mother in a special reading of Act One that will be presented in Indianapolis. She calls it an eye-opening experience. "It's funny, it's poignant, it's sad, it's unbelievable and it is true," says Rehm. The production, according to Rehm, is traveling the country to raise awareness and funding in the fight against Alzheimer's. "Alzheimer's has simply not risen to the level of understanding that it is going to demand within the next decade," says Rehm."
    Research, science, and technology 
    • A November 3, 2014 The Telegraph (UK) article reported that "Scientists at Lancaster and Ulster universities have discovered that two common diabetes drugs reverse the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease." According to the article, "Liraglutide and lixisenatide work by increasing insulin production, reducing the amount of sugar in the blood and by helping food pass more slowly through the stomach. Now scientists at Ulster and Lancaster universities have discovered that they may also reverse the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease. A study in mice showed that daily injections of the drugs for 10 weeks brought down levels of amyloid plaque in their brains and improved their memories and ability to recognise objects. The authors claim that the drug could offer a ‘potential new treatment’ for Alzheimer’s disease."