USA2 SPOTLIGHT

An August 6, 2019 Ministry Matters article quoted an excerpt from Bishop Kenneth L. Carder’s latest book, “Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia Through a Spiritual Lens.” Carder’s wife, Linda, has frontotemporal dementia, and he is her primary caregiver. Carder writes, “David Keck, in his bookForgetting Whose We Are: Alzheimer’s Disease and the Love of God, contends that dementia is “a theological disease.” Keck’s point is correct that Alzheimer’s disease pushes beyond the medical lens as it impacts the meaning of personhood, wholeness, salvation, sin, and love. In this book, we will consider the theological challenges and opportunities inherent in the struggle with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.” Bishop Carder contributed two articles to UsAgainstAlzheimer’s “Dementia-friendly Worship: A Multi-faith Handbook for Chaplains, Clergy and Faith Communities.”

MUST READS

An August 7, 2019 Medical Xpress article looked to a new study which found that older Americans with advancing dementia who live at home endure more pain and have more complex or unaddressed medical needs than their peers in nursing homes. “Some people with dementia who live at home receive home-based primary, geriatric or palliative care, but many more likely do not. There is an urgent need for these services—as well as home health aides and other social supports—to become widely available to those families providing home care for loved ones with dementia,” said study lead author Krista Harrison, PhD of UCSF.

HUMAN INTEREST

An August 7, 2019 NBCDFW broadcast segment featured the BvB (Blondes vs. Brunettes) annual flag football game in Dallas. This national organization of young professionals is dedicated to raising money and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease research and care. The Dallas chapter has raised $4.5 million in the last 12 years. Watch the game on Saturday, August 10, 2019 at the Cotton Bowl.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

An August 8, 2019 Medical Xpress article focused on a collaborative group of Japanese scientists studying the potential use of a high energy laser, FIR-FEL (far-infrared, free-electron laser), to treat Alzheimer’s disease in the future. The laser breaks down amyloid protein aggregates, which is a major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. According to the article, “Among lasers, the FIR-FEL has been studied very sparsely, although it has high penetration power and is absorbed well by biological systems. It is also used in tissue imaging, cancer diagnostics, and biophysics studies. [Participating scientist Dr. Takayasu] Kawasaki explains, “Our study shows for the first time that FIR-FEL is also useful for breaking down the fibril aggregate structure of proteins.””

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Join the ACL’s (Administration for Community Living) first public meeting of the RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council, to help develop a national family caregiving strategy. The council provides recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on effective models of family caregiving and support to family caregivers, and improving coordination across federal government programs. August 28-29, 2019 in Washington, DC. Registration is required. Watch on the livestream here.