August 16, 2018

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

MUST READS

An August 16, 2018 Everett Independent article highlighted the new bill signed into Massachusetts law this week requiring medical professionals to receive training to diagnose, treat and care for patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. It also requires physicians to inform a family member or legal representative about the diagnosis, and mandates that all hospitals develop and implement a plan. According to the article, “But assessing whether a patient is showing signs of dementia — of which Alzheimer’s is just one aspect — apparently is not all that simple. In addition, even if health care professionals suspect the presence of dementia, the combination of privacy laws, a lack of training, and a desire not to get involved, so to speak, may result in the avoidance of presenting family members with their suspicions.”

An August 15, 2018 STAT News article [subscription] referenced the fight for an AIDS cure and compared it to the lack of outrage over the inability to find a treatment or cure for Alzheimer’s disease. According to the article, “When virologists and drug developers were too slow in finding ways to save the lives of people with HIV/AIDS and refused to give patients access to experimental drugs 30 years ago, activists chained themselves to a balcony on the New York Stock Exchange, held demonstrations where scores were arrested, and effectively shut down the Food and Drug Administration for a day. The lack of progress against Alzheimer’s disease has brought somewhat less outrage.” 

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

An August 14, 2018 Newswise article reported that researchers from the University of Adelaide found a potential link between iron in our cells and the rare gene mutations that cause Alzheimer’s disease. Abnormalities in inherited AD could result from problems in how neurons handle iron. According to the article, “The researchers caution people against making choices about diet or supplements based on this idea, as their theory only relates to how cells handle iron, not how much iron is in a person’s diet.”

LIFESTYLE

(ICYMI) An August 4, 2018 WSMV NBC News 4 article cited a recent study in the British Medical Journal reporting that people who don’t drink at all have an elevated risk of developing dementia. According to the article, “A 30-year study found that who didn't drink at all for a period of 10 years or more were almost 50% more likely to develop dementia in later life than people who drank a moderate amount.” It is not clear that abstaining from alcohol is a cause of dementia.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

An August 14, 2018 ABC 15 Arizona broadcast segment focused on a new Dementia Friends Arizona program in Tempe, the first city in Arizona to train all first responders on how to deal with people who may have dementia. According to Jan Dougherty of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, “They’re trained to do emergency protocols in this situation: how is it we just slow down so that we keep this person comfortable.” The next goal is for all city employees to receive dementia awareness training.