MUST READS

A March 19, 2019 Next Avenue article kept Sandra Day O’Connor in the spotlight with the release of a new biography, “First.” O’Connor, who has dementia, stepped down from the Supreme Count to care for her husband until his death from Alzheimer’s disease. According to the article, “The unforgiving  demands of caring for a husband who diminishes by the day would inform O’Connor’s service… on the Alzheimer’s Study Group (ASG), the 2009 nonpartisan panel that developed a national plan to combat what the report said “poses a grave and growing challenge to our nation.” The day that report was released… O’Connor issued this warning in Congressional testimony: “Our study shows that in the next 20 years, the numbers of people with Alzheimer’s will increase more than 50 percent.”"

DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY

A March 19, 2019 Texas Public Radio radio segment featured a San Antonio memory cafe for people with dementia and their loved ones. They gather once a month to play music, sing songs, do improv, socialize and other fun activities. According to family caregiving specialist Sheran Rivette of Caring for the Caregiver, “The value of that is the contrast of being socially isolated, which happens so often to caregivers and the loved ones they're caring for, and that can lead to depression and isolation to a greater depth than you've ever known it.”

ALZ TECH

A March 19, 2019 Interesting Engineering article selected eight suggested apps to assist people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families. The list includes apps appropriate for people in the earliest stages, all the way to advanced dementia, and for caregivers and family members.

MUST LISTEN

A March 18, 2019 PBS Arizona Public Media podcast looked at research from University of Arizona scientists working to understand why some people age better than others. Professor Gene Alexander utilizes neuroimaging scans in order to try and predict who will get Alzheimer’s disease. “We need to look at large numbers of people and be able to look at these scans and see how they vary, and why some people do well and some don’t,” said Alexander.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Sign-up for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America free webinar, “Sexuality in Long-Term Care.” April 11, 2019 at 1pm (EST). The webinar will address how dementia may effect consent in nursing homes regarding issues around sexuality and its manifestations. Register here.