USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A July 8, 2015 Today’s Caregiver interview with WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s founder Dr. Neelum Aggarwal highlighted her work as co-leader of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and the importance of clinical trial engagement. According to Dr. Aggarwal, “The key thing about a trial is that it's a regulated type of a study, which means there is a certain protocol or a schedule when people come into a clinic and are asked questions by research assistants. The doctor who’s conducting the trial will be there to do an exam. There may be blood taken. There may be imaging, brain imaging done. These are really important things to consider, especially in Alzheimer’s disease.  It should be part of an Alzheimer’s treatment plan to discuss trials in the future for a participant and a family member.”

A July 2, 2015 Mississippi Conference of the Untied Methodist Church news post highlighted the launch of Faith United Against Alzheimer’s. According to the post, “Immediate activities will focus on building FUAAC membership and educating the more than 11 million members of The United Methodist Church about Alzheimer’s disease. This will be achieved by creating dementia-friendly programming for congregations and faith groups, and advocating for increased funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia research, and through a newly launched FaithUnitedAgainstAlzheimer’s.”

MUST READS AND WATCH

A July 7, 2015 Newsweek article addresses the newly documented effect of B2M protein in memory loss. According to Newsweek, "New Scientist reports Villeda and his team have now begun looking into drugs, antibodies or molecules, that might be used to block the effects of B2M, or indeed block the protein entirely. The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota associates an increase in B2M protein in diseases with chronic inflammation, liver disease, some acute viral infections and a number of cancers. It is also associated with diseases that have a large cell turn over, like HIV and other Autoimmune diseases."

A July 7, 2015 Yahoo News piece shares a Reddit video uploaded by a YouTube user who wanted to share his father's struggle with Alzheimer's. According to the story, "The 39-year-old man, who goes by the name ArthurDigbyS on Reddit and volleybrad on YouTube, posted an 11 minute clip earlier this week showing his father attempting to work around the house on simple tasks." The son of the man says: “Sufferer's don't just sit there in a chair saying 'Who are you?'. It's a lot of work for caregivers. In my case - I pay a in-home care professional to come by the house while I'm at work, but apart from that it's all on me. It's difficult for me to cook, mow the lawn, take a shower, etc while also having to keep him from dumping garbage in the toilet or whatever else he gets up to."

A July 7, 2015 Newsworks story details the ban on Philadelphia Alzheimer's advocate Michael Ellenbogen from attending HHS and Alzheimer Association events due to some controversial remarks. According to the article, "Alzheimer's experts say that Ellenbogen's controversial remarks could be a very symptom of his illness, since early symptoms can include impulsivity and a loss of judgment. Ellenbogen's punishment may seem harsh, but the situation exemplifies the difficulty of threat assessment, says Mark Siegert, a forensic psychologist with the New Jersey company Threat Assessment Experts."

POLICY AND POLITICS

A July 7, 2015 The Hill opinion piece by Chris Hernandez underscored the need to increase overall investment in medical research. According to Hernandez, “The simple solution is to increase our investments in medical research. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), former Speaker of the House of Representatives, recently made an argument for doubling the NIH budget. He noted that our medical research expenditures on Alzheimer’s disease (another disease that doesn’t kill directly) are less than 1 percent of what we spend in Medicaid and Medicare treating the condition. These cost estimates, however, don’t include the indirect costs of disability payments, or lost work days associated with families caring for Alzheimer’s patients.” Hernandez is an orthopaedics researcher and associate professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. He is a 2015 Public Voices Fellow of The Oped Project.

A July 7, 2015 Tennessean opinion piece by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) highlighted the potential of the 21st Century Cures Act to improve health outcomes for Americans. According to Rep. Blackburn, “We now face other challenges. Annual healthcare expenditures for Alzheimer's disease are now $215 billion and growing. Moreover, the care and needs of patients with Alzheimer's will top $20 trillion over the next 40 years. None of this $20 trillion will be spent to prevent or treat Alzheimer's; it will all go to care giving. But these are not the only costs…Once again we need to embrace a national vision of improving lives and, of course, saving money, through a Cures Strategy. Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Representative Diana DeGette, D-Colo., deserve praise for their leadership to do just that, unite and focus the country on a Cures Strategy…Our Cures Strategy provides hope for parents who have children with autism, for mothers and sisters who have breast cancer, and for the senior who has a family history of Alzheimer's disease. It is our generation's time to lead. This Cures Strategy is vital to that effort. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.”