NOTE FROM USA2

Alz Dailies will be on a short hiatus until after the Thanksgiving break. Happy holidays to all!!!

MUST READS

A November 19, 2018 The Inquirer health article spoke to experts and family caregivers about how to create holiday celebrations that are fun for everyone, including guests with dementia and caregivers. The article advises that families may need to reevaluate their traditions every year, have realistic expectations about ‘perfection,’ keep things simple and educate other guests about what to expect from people with dementia.

MUST WATCH

A November 19, 2018 WBAY Action 2 News broadcast segment explored how to avoid Thanksgiving time stress for families with a loved one with dementia. Walt Zerrenner, caregiver to his wife Aline, who has Alzheimer’s, offers up some advice. “For other families, I think you have to have that patience. You have to remember that it’s the illness, it’s not the individual. The person hasn’t changed. The person is still that same person that you grew up with, or knew as a parent or as a loved one, it’s the illness that you’re dealing with.” 

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A November 20, 2018 Express article looked at a new DNA vaccine, from the Alzheimer's Disease Centre at University of Texas Southwestern, that cuts the accumulation of toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's and could pave the way to human clinical trials. The antibody treatment is delivered via the skin and creates a three-molecule chain of beta-amyloid, triggering the body to produce antibodies that inhibit the build-up of amyloid and tau. Also covered by RTE News, Daily Mail and In Daily. 

ALZ TECH

According to a November 20, 2018 Medical Xpress article, a study from the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine, to be presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting, will show that MRI brain scans perform better than common clinical tests at predicting who will develop Alzheimer's disease. MRI scans using diffusion tensor imaging assess the condition of the brain's white matter. According to the article, “About half of the patients went on to develop Alzheimer's disease, and DTI identified quantifiable differences in the brains of those patients. People who developed the disease had lower FA (fractional anisotropy) compared with those who didn't, suggesting white matter damage. They also had statistically significant reductions in certain frontal white matter tracts.” Also covered by Being Patient and Healio Psychiatric Annals. 

FINANCES

A November 19, 2018 Financial Planning article by financial advisor Kimberly Foss, CFP, CPWA, shared the experience of having to report a “5150,” which is an evaluation for involuntary commitment to a mental health facility, for a longtime client (at the request of the family) who was exhibiting signs of dementia. Foss writes, “To say that this was a heart wrenching experience would be a massive understatement. Here was a client about whom I cared deeply, as I did his entire family. And yet, because of that very personal relationship, I was also the person who would deprive him of his independence and freedom of movement, although not by his choice, but by necessity. As planner and advisor, I could plainly see what had to be done. As his friend, I could hardly bear the thought that I had to be the one to do it.”

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

A November 20, 2018 UF News Science & Wellness article shone a spotlight on the 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, a consortium effort to address the Alzheimer’s crisis in Florida. As many as 600,000 Floridians may be living with AD. According to 1Florida ADRC Director Todd Golde, MD, PhD, “The vast majority of published data on Alzheimer’s disease has been on people of Caucasian European descent. This is significant when we draw conclusions about Alzheimer’s disease with respect to incidence, progression and risk factors. A major focus of the 1Florida ADRC that distinguishes us from counterparts in other parts of the country is that our cohort is about 60 percent Hispanic.” 

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Help for Alzheimer’s Families offers its free guide on “Getting a Diagnosis.”Some symptoms of dementia can mirror symptoms of other, treatable conditions, so a diagnosis is imperative. It all starts by understanding and recognizing the 10 signs of cognitive impairment.