USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A June 6, 2019 ELLE article profiled the work of United Neuroscience, which focuses exclusively on vaccine research for neurological diseases, and is currently testing its UB-311 Alzheimer’s vaccine. According to UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Board Member Drew Holzapfel, “A word of caution is that it’s a small study. But the initial data is compelling.” “But the biggest problem is that people are not aware of the clinical trials. The fact is, the first person to be cured of Alzheimer’s will be in a clinical trial. It won’t randomly happen,” said John Dwyer, Global Alzheimer’s Platform (GAP) Foundation Lead. GAP is an initiative of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

A June 6, 2019 Bearings Online post by ClergyAgainstAlzheimer's (a UsA2 network) Advocate Cynthia Huling Hummel relays a story about living with Alzheimer’s disease and how it affected her work as a pastor. “Trust me, when I left the parish the following year, there were many more stories to tell of my memory lapses and gaffs, including the time I got lost on the way to the cemetery. I tried my best to cover for my cognitive problems. I didn’t know then what I know now, that my brain was changing and I was in the very beginning stages of Alzheimer’s... My Alzheimer’s hasn’t prevented me from pastoring, but it has changed things. ”

PATIENT AND CAREGIVER VOICES

A June 6, 2019 WebMD video segment, “Into the Fog: Living with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s,” followed Brian to learn what it’s like to have early-onset AD. He utilizes technology and humor to help keep him on track.

(ICYMI) A May 14, 2019 National Institute on Aging video encouraged people to consider enrolling in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s research. Will, who cares for two parents with dementia, discusses his experience in a clinical trial and how it has positively impacted his life.

CAREGIVING CORNER

(ICYMI) A May 16, 2019 Fast Company article looked to data from a new report out of Harvard Business School which found that many employers are unaware of the impact caregiving has on their employees, of the changing demographics of care, and the economic consequences. According to the report, “More than one-quarter of caregivers (28%) thought that caregiving hurt their careers. For employers, the costs include turnover, decreased productivity, higher absenteeism and healthcare costs, lost institutional knowledge, and more. Fortunately, supporting caregivers appropriately may reduce these costs and help retain key employees.”