USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A December 12, 2018 Alzforum article spotlighted the 2018 meeting of the World Dementia Council (WDC) in London last week, “Defeating Dementia: Progress and challenges on the road to 2025,” which took stock of the last five years since inception and next steps. According to council member and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Co-Founder George Vradenburg, “This energy, enthusiasm and collaboration provides the foundation for faster speed in the coming seven years toward the 2025 goal. There’s a sense of cautious optimism coming out of the movement now that wasn’t there five years ago.”

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

A December 13, 2018 The Guardian article looked to a new study from researchers at the University College London suggesting that amyloid beta “seeds” could potentially be spread by certain medical procedures, including contaminated neurosurgical tools. According to Professor John Collinge, “With CAA [cerebral amyloid angiopathy - brain disorder related to Alzheimer’s] and probably with Alzheimer’s disease there may be certain circumstances, though hopefully rare, that transmission of the pathology can occur. I think it’s important we do further research on this and develop new ways to remove these seeds, so any risk that is there is removed.” Also covered by The Sun

ALZ TECH

According to a December 14, 2018 9 News Sydney broadcast video, researchers at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), UNSW received a $1 million Innovation Grant to develop an early diagnostic test using nanoparticles to better diagnose (using advanced MRI) and treat Alzheimer's disease. “The beauty of these particles is that they are quite inert, they can be used in humans, they are biodegradable and they can be used to deliver drugs and diagnostic chemicals to the brain,” said Professor Perminder Sachdev.

MUST WATCH

Watch a December 14, 2018 “Remember for Alzheimer’s Families” Facebook live chat from Home Instead [log-in required]. Chat about how to ease holiday stress when caring for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia. 

CAREGIVING CORNER

A December 11, 2018 Daughterhood blog post by Anne Tumlinson addressed FOMO (fear of missing out) for caregivers this holiday season. “One of the hallmarks of caregiving is that it leaves you feeling like you’re missing out. Missing out on fun everyone else is having, missing out on your old life – before you were a caregiver. Of course, Holidays make this feeling even worse.”