MUST READS

An August 21, 2018 CISION PR Newswire release announced that Dash Genomics partnered with HealthLytix to launch a new platform offering personalized, genetic-based analysis for assessing lifelong Alzheimer's disease risk utilizing a proprietary, age-dependent visual model. Anyone who has their genetic information from 23andMe or Ancestry.com can receive this more comprehensive method of characterizing risk profile. “The original PHS (Polygenic Hazard Score) has already demonstrated great utility for understanding risk of Alzheimer's disease beyond APOE genes. At HealthLytix, we further improved PHS with our proprietary algorithm. We're thrilled to be partnering with Dash Genomics to make our research available more broadly,” said Dr. Chun Chieh Fan of HealthLytix.

According to an August 21, 2018 McKnight’s Long-Term Care News article, new analysis from Medicare Advantage, released by the AARP Public Policy Institute, found that about 70 percent of elderly dementia patients receive long-term courses of drugs (beyond 13 months), yet there is little evidence they provide benefits beyond a year. Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine are approved by the FDA to treat dementia symptoms. “Our results are part of a larger problem that is pervasive throughout the healthcare systems — the potential overuse of healthcare services that can lead to unnecessary healthcare costs,” said Elizabeth Carter of AARP. Also covered by Healio. 

CAREGIVING CORNER

An August 19, 2018 Home Health Care News article looked at the trend toward specialized programs focused solely on dementia in the home care industry. “Having a specialized dementia care program makes sense in terms of caregiving, makes sense in terms of where the population is going and makes sense from a business perspective to be able to say we have specialized caregivers. There’s certainly a need in the future for caregivers of all types, but specifically for those who have training in dementia—that’s going to become extremely important,” said Jennifer Ballard of Interim HealthCare.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

An August 20, 2018 Fast Company article featured ‘cities’ specially designed for people with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia who need memory care. Copenhagen-based Nord Architects is building a series of such cities, where buildings look like ‘home’ to the inhabitants. “We know most of the patients come from these types of villages. We wanted to create an environment that wasn’t alien to the normal place they come from. It’s very much about creating a noninstitutional atmosphere that is based on the traditions of the local architectural works,” said Morten Gregersen of Nord.  

ALZ TECH

An August 20, 2018 The Star Online article featured virtual reality as a training tool for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. According to the article, "You are there and you are observing this and you have a deep sense of feeling of what's happening. We know when there's an emotional connection to something, that whole experience is enhanced and virtual reality seems to be able to do this," said Dr Neelum Aggarwal of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. 

PROFILES IN COURAGE

An August 20, 2018 North Bay Nugget article revealed that Former Nipissing (Ontario) MP and radio personality Bob Wood has Alzheimer’s disease. His father had AD, and Bob was lucky to be diagnosed in the early stage. According to Wood, “Everybody is afraid to talk about it and it is time we brought it out in the open. It happened to me, it could happen to you, it could happen to any member of your family at any time.” Also covered by Bay Today.