MUST READS

A November 1, 2017 CISION PR Newswire release looked at the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation’s Kansas City Pilot Program, the “Memory Strings Kansas City Alliance,” which is implementing a new model designed to accelerate clinical trials and increase participation in research. It showed a 292% growth in people contacting their local Alzheimer's disease research center and cut trial enrollment time in half. Recruiting clinical trial participants remains a major challenge.

A November 1, 2017 CISION PR Newswire release reported on poll findings from Maria Shriver's Women's Alzheimer's Movement and the Bipartisan Policy Center. The majority of Americans are uninformed about their vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease. According to Shriver, “While many American women have heard the word 'Alzheimer's,' only a small percentage of them truly realize that they are vulnerable. But there is a hunger for information and a willingness to change lifestyle behaviors. People just want to know what they have to do. There is a huge opening here to educate the American public, especially women.”    

According to a November 1, 2017 Nature article, the first clinical trial giving young blood to people with dementia reported that the procedure appears safe and may produce modest improvements in people with Alzheimer's disease. The study saw no significant effect on cognition, but showed significant improvement in daily living skills. The trial was very small and just a first step in exploring this type of treatment.

CAREGIVING CORNER

A November 1, 2017 Huffington Post article featured Franne Golde, a multi-platinum award winning singer/songwriter and fashion designer, and her husband Paul Fox, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. According to Golde, “We have been through so much over the past five years - shock, fear, sadness, and endless tears leavened with a healthy mix of denial and hopefulness. We’ve been in support groups, visited our state capital and walked the halls of Capitol Hill, lobbying for increased research funding and improved access to care and support.”