USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A November 2, 2018 The Legal Examiner article interviewed Dr. Richard Morgan, who shares practical advice for caregivers based on his own experience as a dementia support counselor and full-time caregiver for his wife, Alice Ann, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Morgan is a Founding Member of ClergyAgainstAlzheimer’s (a UsA2 network). At almost 90, he continues to lead and inspire. 

MUST READS

A November 4, 2018 The New Orleans Advocate “Alzheimer’s Q&A” asked about the roots of November as Alzheimer’s disease awareness month. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan designated this month to promote public awareness of the condition and a more empathetic understanding, including funding for more research and services for those affected.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

According to a November 5, 2018 Healio Psychiatric Annals article, clinical trial participants receiving concomitant medications for dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease showed faster rates of cognitive decline. “Clinical trials of new therapies for [Alzheimer’s disease] typically allow participants to continue receiving [cholinesterase inhibitors] and memantine during the trial if the dose remains stable. Thus, it is critical to know whether participants receiving these concomitant medications differ significantly from those not receiving these medications, particularly if such differences may affect trial outcome,” wrote Richard E. Kennedy, MD, PhD of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues.

A November 2, 2018 Scientific American Observations blog post by Ali Rezai focused on the use of ultrasound (magnetic resonance–guided focused ultrasound/MRgFUS) to open the blood-brain barrier and thereby treat brain disorders. Researchers at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University are testing this technology to assist the delivery of antibodies and medications to their target tissue. According to Rezai, “MRgFUS is one of the most promising of these new advances that I have come across in my career. It’s already FDA-approved to treat tremors and is being actively tested on patients with a range of other neurological conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and brain tumors.”

PROFILES IN COURAGE

A November 5, 2018 NJ.com article spotlighted “Alzheimer's Xplained,” a new digital storybook using colorful illustrations and simple, conversational text to help make AD more understandable to affected families. The book is based on the experience of actor Esai Morales as he came to terms with his mother’s Alzheimer’s. According to creator Dr. Kim Chilman-Blair, “Doctors learn a lingo at medical school and become so socialized in that way of speaking, they don't speak the same language as patients. There's a disconnect between what doctors say and what people hear. Unless we provide tools to break down that medical mumbo jumbo, they are never going to be able to understand it properly.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

A November 5, 2018 EurekAlert! release announced the launch of the Oskar Fischer Project Challenge. In order to expand the understanding and explanation of Alzheimer’s disease, James Truchard bestowed a $5 million gift to The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Science to oversee the synthesis of information into one simple explanation for the cause of Alzheimer's disease. “Through Jim Truchard's support, the Oskar Fischer Project will accelerate our shared mission of unraveling the mysteries of neurodegeneration through engagement with the smartest thinkers around the world. It's important to look at all possible solutions. This contest will bring together the world's best minds to consider the entire story."

Help For Alzheimer’s Families offers its “Symptoms and Stages of Alzheimer’s” guide, which lays-out the basics of the disease.