July 01, 2016

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A June 30, 2016 press release from Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced “new legislation [that] would authorize grants to public and non-profit organizations to expand training and support services that improve caregiver health and allow patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias to stay in their homes longer.” The release quoted UsAgainstAlzheimer’s chairman George Vradenburg. According to Vradenburg, “In this fight to defeat Alzheimer's, we must act to meet the needs of caregivers - the often forgotten people who put their own health and finances on the line to help loved ones battle a deadly disease. We applaud Senator Klobuchar and her colleagues for introducing an important bill that will offer critical training and support services for caregivers to support them in this most important work."

A June 29, 2016 Time.com piece by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s partner Greg O’Brien highlighted Pat Summitt’s legacy and impact dismissing Alzheimer’s stereotypes. According to O’Brien, “Until we understand collectively that Alzheimer’s strikes people in the prime of life—individuals at first glance who seem just like you—there will be no critical mass to demand a cure for this disease that is poised to annihilate the Baby Boomer generation and generations to come.”


MUST READS

A June 30, 2016 Fauquier.com opinion piece by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) called for increased Alzheimer’s research and caregiver support. According to Sen. Kaine, “One way we can prepare for the coming challenges is to invest in research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) already plays a critical role in Alzheimer’s research, which can find ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s faster, develop more effective treatments, and perhaps discover a cure one day. However, Congress must adequately fund NIH’s biomedical research operations to realize these goals, and I hope that this year’s final Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill will do so…As a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, I am committed to working with my colleagues, patients, caregivers, the Alzheimer’s Association and other advocates to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. If Congress invests in research, planning and care, we can improve outcomes for brain disease patients, alleviate the challenges caregivers face and find a cure to turn the images we associate with Alzheimer’s into distant memories.”

A June 30, 2016 Harvard Health Blog article explored the "not-so-hidden" costs of caregiving. According to the article, “One of the study’s most important findings is that caregivers of critically ill family members may still be at risk for clinical depression for months, if not years, after the crisis is over — and that this risk is higher for these caregivers than for most of us, including those who look after loved ones with chronic progressive illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease. The study also notes that there is currently a lack of resources for caregivers.”