USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A February 19, 2020 Diverse Elders Coalition blog post by LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Lead Jason Resendez applauded progress on expanding paid leave for parents who work for the federal government, but pointed-out where work remains to be done. A new UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST “What Matters Most” survey found that two in three dementia caregivers believe paid family and medical leave should be a Congressional priority. According to the Resendez, “The legislation that President Trump praised during the State of the Union provides up to 12 weeks of paid paternity and maternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child… Unfortunately, in the last hours of the negotiations, benefits were dropped for individuals with serious medical conditions like Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A February 21, 2020 Forbes article looked-at the anti-inflammatory potential of sub-perceptual LSD doses to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Biomedical startup Eleusis lead Shlomi Raz spoke about the unique approach and science surrounding the serotonin 2A receptor, which is the target of psychedelics. According to Raz, “...I read the work of Professor Charles Nichols at Louisiana State University, who found that some psychedelics potently reduced inflammation at levels that would be predicted not to be psychoactive or even perceptible, via activation of the serotonin 2A receptor, which besides being expressed in the brain, is also highly expressed throughout the body. And this got me very excited.”

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

A February 19, 2020 Telegram article spotlighted “With Dad,” Clark University Professor Stephen DiRado’s black-and-white photographic documentation of his father, Gene’s, 20-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. According to the article, “The book is designed to be “a bridge between text, art and publication,” DiRado said… A particularly poignant moment occurred when DiRado followed Gene into the bathroom and discovered his father didn’t recognize the man in the mirror, Gene’s own reflection. Documenting these moments became a mission as well as armor for DiRado.”

VETERANS SPOTLIGHT

A February 20, 2020 WNDU NBC 16 News Now broadcast segment focused on the link between seizures and Alzheimer’s disease. Brain and nerve cell changes in people with AD can lead to seizures, and may even precede Alzheimer’s symptoms. New research of US veterans found seizures associated with double the risk of developing dementia (between one to nine years on).