IN MEMORIAM

An April 19, 2017 The New York Times article profiled Trish Vradenburg after her death this week at her home in Washington, DC. She was an Alzheimer’s crusader in honor of her mother, who died from the disease. She feared she was genetically predisposed to AD and refused to be tested until there was a cure. “Losing a person you love so deeply and feeling so helpless to stop it makes you rage, cry, swear and, ultimately, become an advocate,” she blogged.

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s has started the Bea Lerner Fund to honor the lives of both Trish Vradenburg and her mother. In lieu of flowers, if you are so moved, please make donations to the Bea Lerner Fund to help us stop Alzheimer’s. You can also add your name to our card or send a personal message to Trish's family.

Trish's passing has also been noted by other outlets including: The Los Angeles Times, The Star-Ledger, and Jewish Journal, among others. 

MUST READS

According to an April 20, 2017 California Healthline article, contrary to the popular belief that people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia “fade away,” they retain a sense of self and can have a positive quality of life, overall, until the illness’s final stages. Promoting wellbeing is both possible and desirable in people with dementia, “Do our abilities change? Yes. But inside we’re the same people,” said John Sandblom, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s seven years ago.

An April 19, 2017 STAT article argues that more money should be put into prevention of diseases as opposed to treating conditions after they arise, especially for the eight leading causes of death in the US, including Alzheimer’s. Spending on treatment continues to skyrocket, while funding for the CDC’s disease prevention and health promotion efforts has greatly declined. And the US recently saw the first decreases in life expectancy in decades.

An April 19, 2017 WebMD article interviewed certified genetic counselor, Robin Bennett, about what questions to ask and issues to consider if you want to use 23andMe’s FDA approved, direct-to-consumer genetic testing for 10 conditions, including Alzheimer’s. Bennett stressed to research your family history, and to use the tests with caution and not make assumptions about your health status based on this information alone.

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES

[Log-in required] An April 20, 2017 Rome News-Tribune article spotlighted two legislative victories by the Georgia Council on Aging: a home-care program for Alzheimer’s patients and progress on stemming elder abuse. The Georgia General Assembly budget contains over $13 million in new funding to expand existing programs and create new ones, including new money for adult protective service workers, a prosecutor to help put abusers in jail and a raise for those who monitor nursing homes. 

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Sign-up for the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund’s screening of the winning short films from 2015's Living With Alzheimer's Film Competition. A discussion with David Shenk, author of "The Forgetting," and Eric Latek, Grand Prize-winning filmmaker, and moderated by John Hockenberry, host of NPR's "The Takeaway," will follow the screenings. Sunday, May 7, 2017 in New York City.