May 10, 2018

Today’s Top Alzheimer’s News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Volunteers of America invites you to the book release for “The Momentum of Hope” – a vivid and moving collection of essays by people who have experienced trauma and made the journey to recovery – on May 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. Join experts in moral injury and featured authors including UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Board member Meryl Comer. 


YOUTH FOCUS

Support the Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s Thunderclap campaign for the CA CareCorps Act AB2101 bill. This bipartisan effort calls for the creation of the California Care Corps, a workforce development program that incentivizes high school and college graduates to provide full-time non-medical care to a senior with cognitive impairment. It includes a monthly stipend to cover living expenses and travel, with educational grants upon completion of a year of providing care.  


RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A May 8, 2018 Medscape article reported that noninvasive optical coherence tomography angiography technology helps researchers examine microvascular changes in the retina, which can be evidence of preclinical Alzheimer's disease. According to Gregory Van Stavern, MD of the Washington University School of Medicine, "Changes in the visual system, and the eye itself, can parallel changes in the brain, and are more easily detected with some of the tools we use every day in clinic.” 


PROFILES IN COURAGE

A May 10, 2018 BBC News article confirmed that EastEnders star actress Dame Barbara Windsor has Alzheimer’s disease. Her husband, Scott Mitchell, decided to go public, with her blessing. According to Mitchell, "I hope speaking out will help other families dealing with loved ones who have this cruel disease. Secondly, I want the public to know because they are naturally very drawn to Barb­ara and she loves talking to them.” Also covered by The GuardianThe Telegraph and others.


ALZ TECH

A May 10, 2018 News Medical Life Sciences article spotlighted a new Facebook app developed to provide support to unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease. "Given the recent problems of social media, our study provides evidence of the social good that can be obtained with social media using telehealth innovations like friendsourcing, which we developed for supporting Alzheimer's caregiving," said David Wilkerson of the IU School of Social Work, who helped research the app. “Friendsourcing” is a variant of crowdsourcing, to bring online support to Alzheimer's caregivers.


CAREGIVING CORNER

The Dementia, Caregiving and Transportation toolkit from the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center addresses transportation needs and concerns experienced by family caregivers, particularly for people with dementia. It is important to help caregivers learn about community transportation services, the range of available transportation options, and important considerations for matching transportation options and specific care needs.