USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

An August 8, 2015 The Denver Post opinion piece by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s patient and caregiver advocates Greg O’Brien and Meryl Comer highlighted the need importance of foster dementia friendly communities. According to the authors, “As communities begin to wrestle with the definition and designation of "dementia friendly," it is up to those of us in its early stages to speak with candor while we can, and for caregivers and families to define what will help the most in the face of a nation in collective denial. When it comes to dementia, no one is immune. Please don't think it won't become your story. Like those who fought long and hard for the Americans with Disability Act that we now take for granted, we all have a stake in getting "Dementia Friendly America" right.”

A July 31, 2015 Forbes opinion piece by former Senator Bill Frist called for making dementia friendly communities “the new normal.” According to Frist, “It’s time for a nationwide effort to educate Americans about dementia, equip business owners and first responders to recognize and assist those with memory loss, and empower people with Alzheimer’s and dementia to engage independently and safely in community life for as long as possible. That is why I am excited to be a part of the Dementia Friendly America Initiative that was announced on July 13th at the White House Conference on Aging.  This collaborative effort is fostering dementia-friendly communities across the United States that will support those living with dementia and their caregivers and families. More than 50 organizations including AARP, the Alzheimer’s Association, CVS/Caremark, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National League of Cities, and USAgainstAlzheimer’s have joined forces to make dementia friendly communities a reality across America.”

MUST READS

An August 4, 2015 The Huffington Post blog post by Linda Fried called for addressing dementia as a public health challenge. According to Fried, “Two characteristics of dementia make it a public health challenge. First, there is increasing evidence that even if dementia cannot be prevented, onset can be delayed through the prevention of other chronic conditions. According to the National Institute on Aging, research suggests "that a host of factors beyond basic genetics may play a role in the development and course of Alzheimer's disease. There is a great deal of interest, for example, in associations between cognitive decline and vascular and metabolic conditions such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity." Because many of these conditions are themselves preventable, much more research is needed to bring to the public effective prevention…Unless we tackle dementia as a public health challenge, and develop effective prevention, it is on a trajectory to become a dramatically more devastating global crisis. The time to address it -- and invest in the research needed to develop strategies of prevention as well as treatment -- is now.” Linda P. Fried, MD, MPH, is Dean and DeLamar Professor of Public Health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Columbia’s College of Physicians & Surgeons. 

An August 4, 2015 Stanford Medicine Scope blog post highlighted the impact of Alzheimer’s on women. According to the post, “The piece covers the effects of the disease, but I was intrigued to read about the challenges for caregivers of people with the disease (who are also disproportionately women): Most of the caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s Disease are women. Do you have any advice for them in terms of how they can take care of themselves while taking care of a loved one with the disease? This gets to the damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t aspect of AD and women. On the one hand, women are more likely to develop AD; on the other hand, they are also more likely to find themselves as the primary caregiver for someone with AD. It is now well known that caring for someone with AD has a powerful, negative impact on physical and emotional well-being. Particularly as the disease progresses and patients require more care, there is a large physical toll taken when, for example, having to lift patients out of a chair or off the toilet or out of bed. Sleep becomes fractured for the patient. which means it becomes fractured for the caregiver.”

RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

An August 4, 2015 The San Diego Union-Tribune article reported that “Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is shifting tens of millions of dollars from UC San Diego to the University of Southern California to test a drug on older people who have some evidence of Alzheimer’s disease but have yet to show symptoms.”

An August 4, 2015 Medical Xpress article reported that “An Indiana University and Regenstrief Institute study is the first to report significantly decreased incidence rates over two decades for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in African-Americans.”

An August 4, 2015 NBC News article reported that two teenage finalists for the Google Science Fair are working on Alzheimer’s projects. According to the article, “Krtin Nithiyanandam, 14, also from England, is working on a method of detecting early-stage Alzheimer's. Antibodies that attach to brain plaques associated with the disease are combined with "quantum dots" that emit light at a very specific wavelength — so essentially, you inject someone with this stuff and their brain glows if there's trouble. Anika Cheerla, a 13-year-old American, is working on a computational approach to diagnosing Alzheimer’s.”