July 13, 2015

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A July 13, 2015 Dementia Friendly America press statement announced the launch of the Dementia Friendly America (DFA) initiative. According to George Vradenburg, “Becoming dementia friendly must be a priority for all of our hometowns in order to remove stigma, enable people with Alzheimer’s to come out of the shadows and engage in their communities, and help families effectively manage all that comes with the critical task of caregiving.” George Vradenburg and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s worked closely with DFA to launch the effort and was a major catalyst behind its inception. Watch a USA2 produced video about the initiative here

A July 11, 2015 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s press statement applauded the House passage of the 21st Century Cures Act. According to USA2 co-founder George Vradenburg, “Alzheimer’s is a family epidemic that too few people are talking about.  Getting treatments to families faster requires acceleration of scientific innovation into safe, effective and accessible therapies. The 21st Century Cures Act is a game-changer that will help do just that. We commend the House of Representatives for its passage, and we look forward to continuing our work with the Senate on a companion bill so that this much-needed initiative can be enacted into law as quickly as possible.”


MUST READS

A July 12, 2015 Yahoo! Health opinion piece by Alzheimer’s patient advocate Nancy Johnson underscored the need to invest in Alzheimer’s research. According to Johnson, “We need additional funding dollars on the state and national levels to continue the current research being done to find a cure. You can lend your voice to the fight against Alzheimer’s on the local and national level. With your help, we CAN do this!”

A July 11, 2015 The New York Times opinion piece by Steve Knopper highlighted the lighter side of Alzheimer’s. According to Knopper, “My oldest brother Mark’s shorthand for this behavior is 'wacky.' He finds it hilarious. He lives in Michigan, and talks to my mom by phone every day. He enjoys trading gibberish with her in their incomprehensible conversations. 'She’s completely unplugged from reality and disoriented to time and space,” Mark says. “It doesn’t make any sense, so why not have a good time?' At first, I worried Mark’s antics were making fun of my mom — laughing at her, rather than with her. Then I tried it. I stopped concentrating on the content of her words and, instead, went along with every twist. Once she said she wanted to go somewhere for a picnic. 'Why, Mom?' I asked. She said: 'So we can boil the chicken.' Rather than grilling her about what she meant, I asked what kind of chicken we should boil and where we should hold this picnic. Please don’t misunderstand. Alzheimer’s is terrible. I don’t like the way Mom can no longer brush her teeth, and how her smile has become a sad brown-yellow. The light in her blue-gray eyes is intermittent. She wears whatever her caregivers put on, and this Saturday afternoon it’s a sparkly pink-and-white blouse, nothing special, with beige slacks and matching slippers.”

A July 10, 2015 Washington Post letter-to-the-editor called for stronger dementia friendly language in reporting about Alzheimer’s and dementia. According to the author, “Escaping dementia doesn’t mean we escape the 100 percent terminal condition of being human, and words count. This article included fear-drenched language: “robs,” “dreaded,” “erosion,” “nightmare,” “burden” and “in some ways worse [than death].” This condition is already challenging. Rather than demonizing dementia, let’s put our energy into building dementia-friendly communities and accepting our mortality with courage, grace and, yes, humor.”


POLICY AND POLITICS 

A July 11, 2015 The Washington Post article highlighted the White House Conference on Aging and its focus on issues like LGBT aging and Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “The conference comes as the United States is becoming an older society. With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day, the population of people that age and older is projected to reach 88.5 million by 2050 — more than double its size in 2010…’The timing is fortuitous to have this,’ said Ronald C. Petersen, who heads the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. He said the conference offers a spotlight on aging issues just as the call for more federal investment in Alzheimer’s disease research has become more urgent.”

A July 11, 2015 The St. Louis Post-Dispatch opinion piece by John G. Boyle thanked Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) for his commitment to Alzheimer’s research funding. According to Boyle, “Thanks to the efforts of Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and his colleagues on the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, that funding gap may now be narrowing…With over 5 million Americans living with this awful disease today, and a projected 16 million by 2050, there is an urgent need to increase our nation’s awareness and investment in Alzheimer’s research funding. For those living with Alzheimer’s today and for our future generations, the time is now to step up our efforts to prevent, delay and cure this devastating disease.” John G. Boyle is Chairman of the Alzheimer’s Association Board of Directors.

A July 10, 2015 Washington Times article reported that “The House passed a bill Friday to bolster medical discoveries and speed drugs from the lab to patients, easily overcoming ripples of opposition from both parties.” According to the article, “Dubbed 21st Century Cures, the bill gives $8.75 billion to the National Institutes for Health and $550 million to the Food and Drug Administration over the next five years…On Thursday, Mr. Cantor offered his support for 21st Century Cures, saying ‘there will be no cure for terminal childhood diseases, cancer, or Alzheimer’s without a national commitment to basic science and research.’”