September 16, 2013

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Some Democrats on long-term care commission reject panel recommendations, the need for Alzheimer's research funding, divergent views over amyloid research, and Massachusetts becomes the first state to join the Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance (read more). 
 
 

Must reads

  • A September 16, 2013 Politico article reported that "Democrats picked to serve on a special long-term care commission organized by Congress in the aftermath of Obamacare’s discarded CLASS Act mostly rejected the panel’s recommendations — arguing that the commission failed to consider the key question of how to finance long-term care for an aging population." According to the commissions' Judith Feder of the Urban Institute, “We know that the biggest problem facing long-term care is that there’s no insurance mechanism to protect us against the risk…The commission essentially punted on the most critical issue and did not make a recommendation on that.”
  • A September 15, 2013 Longmont Times-Call editorial called for more Alzheimer's research funding. According to the editorial, "September is World Alzheimer's Month and Sept. 21 is Alzheimer's Action Day. It's a good time for individuals to advocate for Alzheimer's research by letting elected officials know they should do more to support robust research to combat this widespread killer."
  • A September 14, 2013 USA Today article and video segment focused on the divergent views of researchers over beta amyloid plaques as a focus of Alzheimer's research. According to the article, "For years, scientists and drug companies zeroed in on clumps of brain plaques as a trigger for Alzheimer's disease.Scientists theorize that these clumps, known as beta amyloid plaques, crowd the brains of Alzheimer's patients, killing nerve cells and scuttling memory and thinking.But pharmaceutical companies have come up empty on developing a drug that removes these plaques and slows or halts memory deterioration, despite spending billions of research dollars.Some scientists now question whether amyloid is the correct target."
 
Caregiving 
  • A September 14, 2013 Associated Press article reported that Massachusetts has become the first state to sign on to a program that provides employees information about Alzheimer’s Disease. According to the article, "Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration says the state’s partnership with the Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance will give thousands of state workers information about early warning signs of the disease, along with resources to help care for a loved one who has been affected."
  • A September 13, 2013 Market Pace audio segment and article reported on the high cost of caregiving. According to the article, "Taking care of a loved one who's sick or near the end of their life is hard -- emotionally, physically, financially. It involves long hours without pay and it is a full-time job many Americans find themselves doing."