January 05, 2016

Today's Top News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A January 4, 2016 AARP Minnesota blog post highlighted the work of Olivia Mastry and Dementia Friendly America, an initiative supported by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. According to the article, “Minnesota has established the foundational model for the program, which includes increasing awareness and providing support so that individuals with dementia can live independently for as long as possible. That support comes in many forms and includes everything from walking clubs, memory cafes and therapy puppy parties to hands-on training for government workers, businesses and emergency services personnel.” Look closely for a picture of UsA2 Chairman George Vradenburg with the Dementia Friendly America team and learn more about DFA here.

ICYMI: A December 19, 2015 Tampa Bay Times opinion piece by ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer’s chair Dr. David Morgan underscored the need for Florida to increase support for Alzheimer’s research. According to Morgan, “Alzheimer's costs more than heart disease or cancer and kills almost as many people, yet research support is 10 to 20 percent of that for these other diseases. This new funding is the down payment on several future years of increases so that the breakthroughs in the lab can translate into meaningful treatments for patients and their families. The Florida Legislature now needs to step up and increase funding for Rep. Matt Hudson's Alzheimer's research program. Please let your legislators know where you stand on these issues.” David Morgan is the CEO of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute. 


MUST READS 

A January 4, 2016 NewsMax.com article highlighted five important Alzheimer’s advances to watch for in 2016, including Eli Lilly’s solanezumab and ultrasound technology. According to the article, “Australian researchers believe that non-invasive ultrasound can break up the brain-clogging amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease and reverse memory loss. The technique has yet to be tried on humans, but was effective when used on mice bred to develop Alzheimer’s.”

A January 4, 2016 The Salt Lake Tribune article reported that Alzheimer’s is projected to increase by 50 percent in Utah by 2025. According to the article, “Alzheimer's isn't just a disease that robs individuals of their livelihoods—it is an epidemic with staggering financial costs for families and the community. And, those costs are expected to skyrocket during the next decade, as more and more baby boomers are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In fact, Utah is projected to see a more than 50 percent increase in the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's by 2025.”

A January 4, 2016 UCLA Newsroom article profiled the work of the UCLA Brain Mapping Center. According to the article, “Two hundred miles per hour is the top speed of signals that pass between active neurons, the cells that process and transmit information through electrical and chemical signals. Billions of them are at work in our heads. At UCLA’s brain mapping center, scientists map the paths those neurons take and the networks they form with high-tech scanners, enabling the study of a vast array of processes going on in our brains. These include sleep, learning, aging and memory, and the aberrant activities caused by such afflictions as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, autism, clinical depression and brain injuries.”

 

FROM AROUND THE INTERNET

WBUR: Teasing Out How Anxiety Might Be Linked To Dementia In Older Patients

HelpAge.orgMental health a growing public priority in India

Long Term Living Magazine: A healthy attitude toward aging might keep you healthier

Huffington Post: Creativity and a Cure for Alzheimer's Disease

NorthJersey.com: N.J. legislators look to set minimum standard for nursing home staffing

Daily Kos: GOP's Newt Gingrich surprises many and supports Hillary Clinton on one very important issue