November 17, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 chairman George Vradenburg talks about the importance of caregivers, Surviving Grace is a smash hit in Indianapolis, and former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher advocates for Alzheimer's funding at the same level as ebola (read more). 

USA2 Spotlight 

  • A September 17, 2014 WTOP article reported on the critical role of caregivers in the fight against Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Almost half the family caregivers in the U.S. are helping a loved one who has Alzheimer's or dementia. George Vradenburg, head of the advocacy group UsAgainstAlzheimer's, says, "You do it not out of a sense of self-sacrifice; you do it out of a sense of love." Vradenburg says caregiving puts an enormous burden on a person. Studies have shown caregivers are less likely to tend to their own health, and more likely to suffer depression and anxiety. The typical caregiver, according to government statistics, is a middle-aged woman with some college experience who is helping her mother -- a woman such as Diane Johnson, of Bethesda."
  • A November 14, 2014 Indy Style article reported on the production of Surviving Grace in Indianapolis to raise awareness of Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Based on Trish’s experience as a caregiver to her mother who died of Alzheimer’s in 1992, Surviving Grace is a brutally honest, irreverent and moving story – laced with humor – that sheds light on the emotional ups and downs that more than 15 million Alzheimer’s caregivers in the U.S. go through each day." Also covered by WFYI.  
Must reads
  • A November 14, 2014 The Hill opinion piece by Dr. David Satcher underscored the need for federal funding to combat Alzheimer's on the same scale as ebola. According to the Dr. Satcher, "Progress on Alzheimer’s is being held back by limited funding. For every $26,500 Medicare and Medicaid spend on Alzheimer’s care, the NIH spends only $100 on research. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), described the current state of affairs when he testified on Alzheimer’s research before Congress earlier this year: “We are not, at the moment, limited by ideas. We are not limited by scientific opportunities. We are not limited by talent. We are, unfortunately, limited by resources...” Once we recognize the stakes are high, we’ve seen how focused our country can be on solving a public health crisis. In addition to current action on Ebola, the number of deaths from heart disease, prostate cancer, breast cancer, HIV and stroke are all declining due to decisive action. Meanwhile, the deaths and devastation from Alzheimer’s disease continue to soar."
  • A November 17, 2014 Bloomberg article reported that "A new blood test for Alzheimer’s appears to detect the disease as many as 10 years before clinical diagnosis is possible -- far sooner than other tests in development."
  • A November 14, 2014 The Science Times article reported on the growing economic cost of Alzheimer's. According to the article, "While treatments are being discovered recently for Alzheimer's disease, the degenerative illness is expected to boom in the U.S in the next 30 years, according to a new study…The study, which was published online in the journal Forum for Health Economics and Policy this week, says that the cost of caring for Alzheimer's patients will increase from $307 billion to $1.5 trillion a year by 2050. WebMD reports that 35 years from now, the average annual per-patient cost of the disease will be double that of the $71,000-a-year cost in 2010."
Minority impact 
  • A November 14, 2014 TWC News article and broadcast segment reported on the efforts of researchers at NC A&T University to understand the impact of Alzheimer's on the African American community. According to the article, "The African American and Alzheimer’s disease research team at A&T hopes their study will help find genes that trigger the disease in African Americans with the goal of better prevention and treatment methods.“Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and only leading cause without a cure or a good way of prevention or a good way to treat it,” said Lang.Along with their research, the team has been going out into the community offering education and support. But in a week, they’ll cut the ribbon on the new Center for Outreach in Alzheimer’s Aging and Community Health in Greensboro."