June 29, 2016

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A June 28, 2016 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s press statement noted the passing of Pat Summit from Alzheimer’s disease. According to Trish Vradenburg, co-founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, “We are truly saddened to lose a legend like Pat Summitt…Alzheimer's is unrelenting even when up against our nation's heroes, that's why we must push forward in this fight to develop ways to prevent, treat and cure this disease.”

MUST READS

A June 28, 2016 The Hill opinion piece by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) underscored the need to support Alzheimer’s caregivers and pass the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer’s Act. According to Rep. Smith, “At a time when advocacy groups, medical researchers, and the NIH are providing invaluable resources and making great strides, it would be unconscionable for Congress to not play its part in providing a framework for their efforts to have the greatest impact. It is our moral imperative to support individuals with Alzheimer’s and we as a nation have an obligation to care for our citizens as they age and to support them as they struggle to face the challenges of this disease. Passage of my legislation will empower individuals with much-needed information to outline their future treatments and care—giving patients HOPE, and a plan for their future.”

A June 28, 2016 Huffington Post article highlighted “What Pat Summitt’s Death Can Teach Us About Early Onset Alzheimer’s.” According to the article, “Early onset only accounts for about 10 percent of people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. The cause of the disease in people so young is generally unknown. In the majority of instances, early onset is identical in form to the more common cases of Alzheimer’s, and progresses approximately the same way as it would in older individuals…Despite the former school of thought that the disease isn’t technically a cause of death, experts now argue that it has a direct effect.”

A June 28, 2016 KETR.org article (Texas Public Radio) reported that “Texas nursing homes lead the nation in the prescribing of antipsychotic medications to seniors.” According to the article, “That has watchdog organizations concerned that people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia are being prescribed such drugs, which can be heavily sedating, for reasons of convenience rather than necessity.”


RELEVANT READS FROM AROUND THE WEB

Fortune: How Medical Researchers Are Breaking the Blood-Brain Barrier

Forbes: What Millennials Wish Their Boomer Parents Would Tell Them

The Washington Post: The ‘single ingredient in leadership,’ according to legendary coach Pat Summitt