MUST READS

An October/November, 2017 Neurology Now article spotlighted the story of B. Smith, diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, and her husband, Dan Gasby, who is her primary caregiver. Together they went public to shed light on the disease and bring awareness to the disproportionate impact of AD on African-Americans. According to Gasby, “The only way I was going to feel whole was to fight this disease and make people aware of how devastating it is and how important it is for them to participate in drug trials and push their members of Congress.”

An October 23, 2017 The Washington Post article reported that rising demand for elderly services is taking a toll on local governments, who need to accommodate a growing senior citizen population. At the same time, federal funding for such programs is decreasing. “The vast majority of people want to stay in their communities as they age, but many of those communities weren’t designed for that. We’ve spent decades, and maybe even centuries, not planning for aging and designing for aging,” said Rodney Harrell of AARP.

According to an October 23, 2017 Boston Globe article, the number of people in Massachusetts who have Alzheimer’s and other dementias will increase by 25 percent in the next eight years, and the state wants to be prepared. The cost of caring for people with dementias is a huge burden on the health care system. One success is the 2010 Silver Alert law which sends out alerts about missing people with cognitive impairment, and trained more than 10,000 law enforcement officers about how to interact with dementia patients.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

An October 24, 2017 Endpoints News article reported that Biogen committed an extra $500 million to its late-stage Alzheimer’s drug, aducanumab. The drug targets amyloid beta and has demonstrated some positive results for high-risk patients in early studies. “This amended agreement with Neurimmune improves aducanumab’s potential value to Biogen as we pursue our strategic goal of leadership in Alzheimer’s disease,” said Biogen CEO Michel Vounatsos.

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

An October 23, 2017 Times Union blog post spotlighted a new app, Purple Table Reservations, which helps families find restaurants that provide special accommodations for people with Alzheimer’s, autism and other special needs. According to Purple Table, “When you make a Purple Table reservation at a participating restaurant, the restaurant and staff will go above and beyond to accommodate your reservation. Restaurants who accept Purple Table Reservations have made the commitment to provide well thought out accommodations (i.e. quieter table, table close to restrooms, etc.), and have trained their staff with best practices to provide an enjoyable dining experience for all.”