August 15, 2013

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

The need for ethical dementia guidelines  sequestration's negative impact on American science, and a young person's perspective on Alzheimer's (read more).  
 

Must reads

  • An August 14, 2013 Huffington Post article highlighted the need for ethical guidelines for dementia treatment and care. According to the post, "The best we can hope for, says Stretch, is a stronger set of ethical guidelines, created by multifaceted teams of medical professionals, patient representatives, and ethics experts, along with other stakeholders. The goal, he says, is "a raised awareness and increased sensitivity for disease-specific ethical instructions.""
  • An August 14, 2013 Huffington Post article profiled sequestration's negative impact on American science. According to the article, "A feeling of despair has taken hold within research communities like Dutta's, Top officials at academic and medical institutions have grown convinced that years of stagnant budgets and recent cuts have ushered in the dark ages of science in America…No bill has been introduced in the Senate to replace the cuts to the NIH's budget. Meanwhile, the Democratic budget -- which would replace all of the sequester -- is mired in a standoff with Republicans, who want to replace the defense cuts contained in sequestration while expanding the domestic cuts."
  • An August 14, 2013 Huffington Post article by a young Alzheimer's caregiver highlighted his struggles caring for his grandfather and the need for young people to take Alzheimer's seriously. According to the author, "As a 19-year-old helping to take care of an 81-year-old with Alzheimer's, I began to reflect on how this disease will affect future lives. As of now, someone develops Alzheimer's every 68 seconds. That's scary enough, but by 2050 people could develop the disease every 33 seconds…Young people tend to have an invincibility complex, through which the health issues of the elderly are the farthest thing from their minds. With such a serious health threat to our society, millennials simply cannot afford to only think about me me me. The problem of Alzheimer's in America grows greater by the year, and we cannot wait until 2050 to start and look for solutions. While I help with my grandpa's care, I hope my family's story will help others reflect on the devastating future of Alzheimer's. Though the statistics don't look bright, I remain optimistic my fellow millennials will try and think more about our collective health."