January 04, 2016

Today's Top News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A January 3, 2016 Senior Housing News article highlighted the release of the final report from the White House Conference on Aging and the participation of UsA2. According to the article, “At the same time, many private organizations announced similar commitments, including the Dementia Friendly America Initiative led by Collective Action Lab in partnership with USAgainstAlzheimer’s the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. The initiative plans to support dementia-friendly communities across the country and to expand 10 to 15 additional pilot sites, according to the report.” 

A December 29, 2015 Huffington Post Latino Voices article byLatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s executive director Jason Resendez highlighted NPR Latino USA’s interview with UsA2 patient advocate Daisy Duarte. According to Resendez, “[Daisy] actively shuns the stigma oftentimes associated with dementia in the Latino community and openly shares her family's story with physicians, researchers, policymakers, and the press - a powerful and change-making combination.” This post originally appeared as a Diverse Elders Coalition Blog

A December 2015 Future of Health Care News article by UsA2 chairmanGeorge Vradenburg outlined ways for readers to engage in the fight against Alzheimer’s. According to Vradenburg, “To stop Alzheimer’s, we need more private and public research funding, faster clinical trials, new regulatory approaches, innovation-friendly reimbursement and earlier detection and diagnosis…Speak out: Nearly two-thirds of Americans have known someone with Alzheimer’s or memory loss, yet many hesitate to share their story, often out of concern for the dignity of their loved one. It’s time we bring Alzheimer’s out of the shadows and into the national spotlight.”

 

 


MUST READS 

A January 2, 2016 Telegraph article (UK) reported that “Advanced economies risk sleepwalking into a new reality of permanently lower growth and higher debt unless policymakers tackle ageing populations.” According to the article, “Demographic decline in advanced economies is one of the biggest challenges facing the world this century, and solutions will take at least a generation. But without change, countries may find themselves sleepwalking into a new reality of permanently lower growth and higher debt.”

Notable LossA January 2, 2016 The Hill article reported that “former Arkansas Gov. and U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers has died at the age of 90…after suffering from Alzheimer's disease and a broken hip.”

A January 1, 2016 U.S. News & World Report article profiled the momentum behind medical research. According to the article, “Scientists have long lamented that inadequate funding prevents the kind of research that leads to treatments and cures for some of the most devastating illnesses. Washington appears to finally be listening…Still, boosting NIH research is a compelling argument for curbing long-term government spending, and one Republicans have used. ‘Advocates were successful in convincing many members of Congress…that diseases like Alzheimer's and diabetes and cancer would not only continue to claim lives and cause family heartbreak, but bankrupt the nation if we failed to put the full potential of science to work,’ Mary Woolley, president of Research!America, an advocacy organization, said in an email.”

A December 29, 2015 Seattle Times opinion piece by Ron Louie called on the nation to appoint an Alzheimer’s czar and treat the disease like AIDS or cancer. According to the article, “Brilliant minds in the Alzheimer’s dementia research community have been attacking the problem for years. We desperately want the miracle breakthrough, but we need to hedge our bets for 2025. Can we create a coordinated and comprehensive research structure to accelerate clinical improvements in treating Alzheimer’s dementia and be more aggressive, even radical in trials? It seems time to empower an Alzheimer’s dementia therapy czar.”


A December 28, 2015 Forbes.com opinion piece by Howard Gleckman underscored the need to balance support for research funding with direct support for individuals living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. According to the piece, “Research into Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias is critically important, and it should be funded. But at least 5 million Americans already have some form of memory impairment and none of this new research it likely to help any of them. Yet other government programs can help this extremely vulnerable population. For instance, housing, transportation, and home delivered meals can make it possible for many to live at home rather than in an institution, at least for a time. So could better information and respite services for their family members. Too bad policymakers and the Alzheimer’s establishment are not paying attention.”

 


MINORITY IMPACT

A January 1, 2016 North Dallas Gazette article reported that a new study from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health has found that “African Americans are 64 percent more likely to develop the condition than Caucasians.” 

A December 28, 2015 NPR.org article highlighted the impact of Alzheimer’s on the Native American community. According to the article, “About 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, the latest statistics suggest, and it's probably about as common on Native American reservations as anywhere else. But a diagnosis in Indian Country is rarer, say mental health workers. That's likely at least partly because of a cultural belief — many Native American communities don't recognize dementia as a disorder.”


RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

January 4, 2016 NPR.org segment reported on the link between the lack of deep sleep and Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “The brain appears to clear out toxins linked to Alzheimer's during sleep, Iliff explains. And, at least among research animals that don't get enough solid shut-eye, those toxins can build up and damage the brain. Iliff and other scientists at OHSU are about to launch a study of people that should clarify the link between sleep problems and Alzheimer's disease in humans. It has been clear for decades that there is some sort of link. Sleep disorders are very common among people with Alzheimer's disease.”

A December 28, 2015 STAT News article highlighted the potential of “high-tech plates and silverware to help patients manage disease.” According to the article, “There are dishes that could send you smartphone alerts reminding you to use them when you enter the kitchen. Utensils that stabilize your food even as your hand shakes. Cups and spoons that aim to zap your taste buds to intensify flavor. And plates that purport to turn eating healthy into a game. The idea that plating affects the way we experience food, long exploited by high-end restaurants, has recently made its way into hospitals and hospices. Now, a growing number of academic researchers and entrepreneurs are designing dishes and cutlery to manage medical conditions or improve overall health.”

A December 28, 2015 The Wall Street Journal article reported that “Some Alzheimer’s disease researchers are using stem cells in a novel way—as a model of the disease outside the human body, enabling more efficient testing of experimental drugs in the lab rather than in clinical trials with people.”