MUST READS

A November 24, 2018 New York Post opinion piece by Jennifer Wright implored President Trump to address the issue of Alzheimer’s disease. Past presidents have declared war on polio and cancer, for example, to great effect. According to Wright, “For his own sake and for the nation, Trump should be speaking out about this disease, and loudly. Our president always seems eager to fight someone, or something. Now that the Democrats have taken the House, he is looking for a bipartisan win. This is one fight that people on both sides of the aisle could get behind.”  

MUST WATCH

A November 8, 2018 Fire Films video, “We Are Family,” shows the “Butterfly Household Model of Care” for people with dementia. Filmed at Landermeads Nursing Home in Nottingham, UK, the film explores a feeling-based care model where patients are treated as valued family members. According to David Sheard, Dementia Care Matters Founder and Butterfly Model Creator, “The essence of great dementia care is understanding that a person with dementia does not have behaviours; they have feelings.” 

CLINICAL TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

A November 19, 2018 Antidote post explored the effectiveness of emotion-based marketing for clinical trial recruitment in the wake of research which shows that patient are more likely to take action for their health after seeing ads that trigger fear and hope. Clinical trial recruitment advertising must be in accordance with standards that follow FDA guidelines and require IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval, and cannot be “overly coercive.” According to Antidote Digital Marketing Manager Nancy Ryerson, "In my experience, patient recruitment ads can be empathetic without being manipulative. Start by researching your patient population to understand their needs and why they might want to participate, and build your outreach materials from there."

FEEL GOOD STORY OF THE DAY

A November 23, 2018 Facebook video from Best of Ross Smith [sign-in required] showed the joyous reaction to visiting puppies from people with Alzheimer’s disease.

CAREGIVING CORNER

A November 13, 2018 MemoryWell piece by Hilarity for Charity Co-Founder Lauren Miller Rogen explored caregiving for the dementia caregiver. Rogen’s mother has Alzheimer’s disease and her dad is her mom’s full time caregiver. Rogen found a therapist to help her work through feelings of frustration and gave her tools to understand her pain. According to Rogen, “Eventually, my wonderful therapist suggested that instead of trying to care for my mom, we should focus our attention on caring for my dad. This made so much sense to me, and finally I understood that it wasn’t my mother who needed my help. She was being cared for beautifully. It was my dad who needed the caregiver… The thing I’ve learned the most is that caregivers are the strongest when they are cared for themselves.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Sign-up for the next Help for Alzheimer’s Families live chat webinar with Alzheimer’s caregiver and author Molly Carpenter. December 11, 2018 at 2pm (EST).