MUST READS

A March 3, 2016 UPI.com article reported that “Researchers have visualized the development of Alzheimer's disease in the brain in living people using positron emission tomography, or PET scans, which they say will aid with its diagnosis and treatment.”

A March 3, 2016 Forbes.com opinion piece by Mike Good underscored the need to reframe how society sees Alzheimer’s. According to Good, “In our naiveté, we’ve been led to believe that cognitive impairments like Alzheimer’s disease are simply a part of aging. We imagine a senile grandma sitting in a rocking chair — innocent and cute. We see her family coming and going while Grams happily rocks away…Sure, it’s one of life’s biggest challenges. But as we know, a positive attitude is one of humankind’s best weapons against any adversary. As a society, we must reframe how we see and present Alzheimer’s disease to others…Reframing how society sees something takes generations. But it starts today with the language we use and how we convey our message to others.”

A March 3, 2016 The Non Profit Times article reported that “New York City’s longtime Alzheimer’s Association chapter has surfaced with a new name: CaringKind.” According to the article, “Lou-Ellen Barkan, president and CEO of what was formerly known as Alzheimer’s Association, New York City Chapter, said that the new name is a nod to the organization’s constituency, which is primarily made up of caregivers. During the process, CaringKind’s leadership and its marketing partner thought about the kinds of family members, physicians and home staff needed to treat Alzheimer’s – courageous, loving and caring – and the name stuck. “It represents who we are and who we serve,” Barkan said.”

ICYMI: A February 28, 2016 The Daily Telegraph article reported that Dennis Gillings, the former head of the World Dementia Council, says he is optimistic that a cure for dementia may be found in five years. According to the article, “Dr Dennis Gillings, outgoing chairman of the World Dementia Council, said recent scientific progress had surpassed his expectations, with two potential breakthroughs now on the horizon. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he was "optimistic" that treatments which could remove the plaques in the brain associated with dementia, and those to unscramble the neural tangles which characterise the disease might be developed as soon as 2020.”

RELEVANT REPORTS

A new report from the Milken Institute highlights the “price women pay for dementia” and offered “strategies to ease gender disparity and economic costs.” According to the overview, “This report provides fact-based evidence of the economic burden of dementia on women by aggregating the effects on the health-care system, the labor market, and living arrangements. It exposes an insidious impact that is often discussed in whispers: the gender disparities that women suffer as patients and caregivers, and the particularly intensive role of the dementia caregiver.” Read the full report here. 

INTERESTING READS FROM AROUND THE WEB

The Scientist: Brain Prize Winners Announced

Quartz: The surprising ways the body works with the brain to shape our sense of self

NIH: Preparing to Launch the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program