USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Watch a public talk livestreamed on April 26, 2018 from Beeson Divinity School’s Hodges Chapel at Samford University, “Building a Dementia-Friendly Community Through a Framework of Faith,” co-sponsored by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Dementia Friendly Faith campaign initiative. World-renowned Scholar James M. Houston, who was the primary caregiver for his wife who had dementia, spoke about the four necessary components for building a dementia-friendly community through a framework of faith. 

MUST READS

A May 6, 2018 The Washington Post article spotlighted the “Stall Catchers” online game which is helping researchers study Alzheimer’s disease and work toward developing an effective drug. To participate in the game from Cornell University’s Human Computation Institute, players work on a data set of thousands of images to identify “stalls,” or areas of reduced blood flow caused by white blood cells accumulating on the sides of the vessels. This work would take researchers decades to finish, which is why they turned to crowdsourcing the research. Sign-up here to participate.

A May 2, 2018 Runner’s World video and article spotlighted British Olympian Ron Hill, the 79-year-old marathon legend who has Alzheimer’s disease. According to Hill, “I remember one morning waking up, getting up, and suddenly feeling that I can’t remember anything, I don’t know what was going on with me but I wasn’t remembering anything about myself. I began to feel that I almost certainly had Alzheimer’s.” He is encouraging people to sign-up to run next year’s London Marathon for Dementia Revolution to raise awareness of dementia and fund research.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A May 6, 2018 The Advocate “Alzheimer’s Q&A” asked if obesity is a risk factor in developing Alzheimer’s disease. A new study at the National Institutes of Health found that obese people at age 50, those with a body mass index (BMI) over 30, may develop or have a higher risk for younger-onset Alzheimer's disease. They were inclined to have more brain changes typical of AD, even without showing symptoms. Each one-point increase in BMI was associated with getting AD six to seven months earlier.

LIFESTYLE

According to a May 3, 2018 Newsweek article, a study from Weill Cornell Medical College suggests that a Mediterranean diet can stave off the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by as much as three-and-a-half years. 70 volunteers had their their Alzheimer’s biomarkers measured at the beginning and end of the three-year study. Participants with a lower adherence to the diet displayed more beta-amyloid in their brains and worse metabolization of glucose in brain cells, both associated with AD.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

A May 3, 2018 Thousand Oaks Acorn article featured the upcoming inaugural “Your Brain Matters” high tea on May 19, 2018, presented by the Alzheimer’s Women’s Initiative of Ventura County. The event will focus on the importance of brain health and honor caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Actress, author and Alzheimer’s advocate Kimberly Williams-Paisley, who lost her mom to dementia, will keynote.