USA2 SPOTLIGHT

An April 8, 2020 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s press release referenced a new A-LIST survey about the effects of coronavirus on the Alzheimer’s community.Key findings include: 82% of caregivers are experiencing elevated stress levels, 74% of caregivers have heightened concerns about their finances, and 37% said that sheltering-in-place was creating additional tension. “Alzheimer’s family caregivers are frontline healthcare workers in their home, and if they get sick, what happens to the patient? Family caregivers already had higher levels of loneliness and isolation, and the coronavirus restrictions have made them even more isolated from family and friends, more stressed and more concerned about their future financial health,” said UsA2 Founding Board Member and long-time caregiver Meryl Comer. A-LIST is a UsA2 initiative.

CAREGIVING CORNER

An April 7, 2020 NPR health news article focused on the impact of coronavirus on people with Alzheimer’s disease and their loved ones, who may now be separated due to shelter-in-place and assisted living visitation restrictions. More than one million people with AD or another form of dementia do not live at home. Ken Gregersen used to visit his wife, Evie, most days, but has been unable to since the restrictions went into place.According to the article, “Gregersen hopes to see his wife in person again. She's in the late stages of Alzheimer's and in hospice care. But with coronavirus continuing to spread, he isn't sure when, or if, that will happen.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

An April 6, 2020 New Atlas article delved into the amyloid hypothesis, the idea that high amyloid levels can be an effective pre-symptomatic sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are working to identify people at the earliest stages of AD to enroll in anti-amyloid clinical trials, to ensure the best chances of success. “Elevated amyloid was associated with lower test performance results and increased reports of subtle recent declines in daily cognitive function. These results support the hypothesis that elevated amyloid represents an early stage in the Alzheimer continuum and demonstrate the feasibility of enrolling these high-risk participants in secondary prevention trials aimed at slowing cognitive decline during the preclinical stages of AD,” concluded a new study.

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

An April 6, 2020 The Hollywood Reporter article highlighted “Little Josephine: Memory In Pieces,” a graphic novel by writer Valérie Villieu and illustrator Raphaël Safrati. The book explores the relationship between a woman with Alzheimer’s disease and her caregiver, and is based on Villieu’s personal experience.