USA2 SPOTLIGHT

In an October 7, 2019 Being Patient Perspectives Talks, Host Debra Kan spoke with Geri and Jim Taylor. Geri, who has Alzheimer’s disease, along with her husband, Jim, decided to live their lives to the fullest. They speak about how Geri self-diagnosed, “When I went to the doctor, it was basically confirmation and is there anything I could do medically? I knew there wasn’t anything big, but that was the confirmation that I needed and I have been on one of the very few drugs ever since.” Both Geri and Jim are UsAgainstAlzheimer’s advocates.

ALZ TECH

An October 7, 2019 National Institutes of Health news release announced the winners of the NIA’s Eureka competition awards, which focuses on mobile apps which help people with dementia, caregivers and healthcare providers coordinate or navigate dementia care. MapHabit received the $250,000 first prize award for their app which assists with daily tasks. “The intent of this challenge was to spur technological innovations so that the overall quality of dementia care could be improved. By enabling more effective management of dementia care overall, we anticipate that such innovations could have the potential to improve the quality of life of those living with dementia,” said NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, MD.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

An October 7, 2019 News Medical Life Sciences article spotlighted the efforts of Valencia Polytechnic University researchers who developed a new online platform that assists people with early stage Alzheimer's disease. According to the article, “The materials have been produced by the AD-AUTONOMY project consortium, which has included the participation of scientists, psychiatrists, sociologists, neurologists, personnel from attention centres for people with Alzheimer's disease, and patients themselves, to achieve a design methodology that is focused on the user.” “AD Autonomy helps improve the quality of life of all of them, taking action in the initial stages of Alzheimer and other dementias, uniting traditional strategies with new TIC tools,” said researcher Antonio Martínez Millana.

MUST WATCH

An October 6, 2019 Q13 Fox broadcast segment commentary expressed admiration for the life of Suzy Bishop, mom to Mariners outfielder, Braden Bishop. Suzy just passed away from Alzheimer’s disease, but Brandon has been fighting hard on her behalf for years with his “4Mom” annual fundraisers. Brandon wrote in a letter to his mom, “I will miss you every single day. I promise I will not let a day go by where I don’t honor your memory and focus on the things you instilled in me...To my biggest fan, my first love, my rock, my superwoman. I love you. Your son.”

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

An October 1, 2019 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article reported that Emory University will receive a $37.5 million federal grant from the NIA to further its research to develop successful new, next-generation drugs to combat Alzheimer’s disease. The grant will fund an Open Drug Discovery Center for Alzheimer’s Disease. According to the article, “The hope is that the creation of the new centers will help researchers “cast a much broader net” with new treatment approaches, said Levey, chairman of Emory’s Department of Neurology and director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. “There is great urgency” to speed up the discovery of new potential treatments for Alzheimer’s, Levey said.”