MUST READS

According to a June 7, 2017 10 News article, a new study reveals that the nine most common neurological diseases, involving the brain, spinal cord and nerves, cost almost $800 billion every year in the United States. Researchers looked at the costs of stroke, dementia, low back pain, traumatic brain injury, migraine headache, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s disease. Delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s by five years would eliminate half the cases and by 10 years, 75% of cases.

A June 7, 2017 The Hill opinion piece by Peter Pitts urged the FDA to permit greater information sharing so that doctors could treat patients more effectively with off-label uses of medicines which effectively treat illnesses that aren't listed on the official label. Doctors, who prescribe one in five medicines off-label, have to make these decisions based on anecdotal evidence because they have no access to drug companies' clinical trial data. Many drugs can treat 18 different illnesses, including the cancer drug Bexarotene, with the potential to treat Alzheimer's disease.

A June 7, 2017 STAT opinion piece by Ishani Ganguli, MD looks at the efficacy of the “annual wellness visit,” as documented in his JAMA paper. Prompted by the Affordable Care Act, Medicare followed the lead of private insurers and began paying in full for a yearly checkup despite thin evidence about whether it does any good. The visit involves things like screening for dementia and depression, discussing care preferences at the end of life, and asking patients if they can cook and clean independently and are otherwise safe at home. The paper reveals that the individuals getting the visits are more often those who are already well-connected to the health care system rather than the historically underserved who may be more likely to benefit from them. 

In a June 7, 2017 Knowledge@Wharton podcast, Wharton’s Jean Lemaire, and Arupa Ganguly of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, discuss the implications of genetic tests on insurers. The gene test for Alzheimer’s disease by 23andMe has been used without issue for years in European countries with universal healthcare, but could have large implications on the U.S. insurance industry.

CAREGIVER CORNER

A June 8, 2017 McKnight’s Senior Living article reported on senior living technology which will provide an independent, comfortable and safe environment to help baby boomers ‘age in place.’ Looking toward the future, aging boomers will live longer than previous generations, but will have higher rates of chronic disease, more disability and lower self-rated health. New technologies and virtual assistants hit the market each day with differing results.

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES

A June 7, 2017 The Orange County Register article spotlighted Alzheimer’s OC’s 2015 split from the national Alzheimer’s Association after the Chicago-based parent decided to merge 54 independent chapters into one to have a unified strategy for attacking Alzheimer’s disease. Orange County, along with five other large chapters, left to maintain local control of their budgets and programs. An estimated 84,000 Orange County residents have Alzheimer’s or dementia, and 34,000 people care for a loved one. Alzheimer’s OC funds Alzheimer’s research, with an emphasis on clinical trials, and offers support groups and caregiving classes.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Memory Sunday is this Sunday, June 11th. It is a designated Sunday, within congregations serving African Americans, that provides education on Alzheimer’s: prevention, treatment, research studies and caregiving. Sign-up your congregation here.

Partnering for Cures (P4C) is heading to Boston and San Francisco. Join P4C Boston on July 12, 2017 and P4C San Francisco on Nov. 14, 2017.