NOTE FROM USA2

Alzheimer's Dailies will take a short break in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 21, 2019.

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A January 17, 2019 Diverse Elders Coalition article by LatinosAgainstAlzheimer's (LA2) Lead Jason Resendez celebrated the ’slowly eroding’ stigma around Alzheimer’s disease, thanks to raised visibility because of high profile diagnosis, popular films and culture. At the same time, there are aspects of the disease and its societal impact that remain largely overlooked and in the shadows, including brain health and risk reduction, disparities and the significant impact on millennials. LA2 is a network of UsAgainstAlzheimer's.

MUST READS

A January 18, 2019 Fortune video and article looked at the work of Paul Cox, PhD’s Jackson Hole, barn-based, non-profit Brain Chemistry Labs. This “virtual pharma,” a consortium of 50 scientists from a wide range of disciplines, is currently working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. They have identified L-serine as a potential treatment. According to the article, “Doubt and derision are helpful reminders for scientists—reminders not to be trapped by your own ideas and certainty: “It’s really important, as a scholar and a scientist, to have a contour map of your knowledge... And it’s just as important to have a contour map of your ignorance.””

ALZ TECH

A January 14, 2019 Bio IT World article looked at ways to leverage existing data from longitudinal cohorts in order to pinpoint new patterns of interest and discover new pathways for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Banner Alzheimer’s Institute’s Executive Director Eric Reiman points to shared goals and data sharing as keys going forward. According to the article, “That untapped potential carries with it plenty of challenges, though. Traditionally, there has been a lack of incentive to share data. And for those who do want to share, there can be a lack of technical or financial support needed to clean information and make it widely available. Then there’s the added difficulty of figuring out how to compile data in a common format.”

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

A January 14, 2019 News Channel 5 Nashville broadcast segmentspotlighted Denver Art Museum’s “Art and About” program, created to spark memories, conversation and community for people with dementia and their care partners. According to Dan Linseman of the Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, “Those are probably bona fide memories that are being stimulated by the artwork. That maybe otherwise they wouldn't be able to verbalize.” 

DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY

A January 14, 2019 The Journal (New Ulm, MN) article spotlighted the “Facing Alzheimer’s Together” speaker session at the community center, focused on the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on families and the community. Approximately 50 communities across Minnesota participate in “Act on Alzheimer’s,” a community engagement program which offers tools to assist people with dementia. “The Act on Alzheimer’s was developed to equip communities to be dementia capable — to support residents and caregivers and families who are touched by the disease and also reduce the stigma. There is still quite a bit of stigma about dementia.”

PROFILES IN COURAGE

A January 15, 2019 Focus Daily News article featured Sarah B. Smith and her new book, “Broken Beauty – Piecing Together Lives Shattered by Early-Onset Alzheimer’s.” Leaning on her own experience from her mom’s battle with AD, the book is “a love story between a husband/wife and a mother/daughter. Follow in Sarah’s shoes, as well as those of her father, on their heartbreaking – yet inspiring and encouraging – journey.”