July 05, 2016

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

MUST READS

A July 3, 2016 The Washington Post article by Sally Jenkins highlighted Pat Summitt’s Alzheimer’s legacy. According to Jenkins, “Rather, I believe that Pat died to demonstrate that the day in, day out way we treat people with cognitive decline has to get better. You’d like to think that Pat got the kind of generous, sensitive care that she gave to others. But the fact is, she didn’t always, for the simple reason that not enough of that care exists. We can do something about that…Rather, I believe that Pat died to demonstrate that the day in, day out way we treat people with cognitive decline has to get better. You’d like to think that Pat got the kind of generous, sensitive care that she gave to others. But the fact is, she didn’t always, for the simple reason that not enough of that care exists. We can do something about that.” 

A July 3, 2016 Philly.com article by retired sports writer Bill Lyon continued his journal entries about his life with Alzheimer’s. According to Lyon, “And to the other 2,000 emailers with their kind and generous sentiments, my eternal gratitude. I have been overwhelmed by your response to my journal these past five Sundays detailing my fight against that gutless little weasel, Al. But this is not goodbye. It is only time-out. It is my intent to continue the journal from time to time. Having you with me is at once humbling and uplifting.”

A July 3, 2016 Philly.com article by Bill Lyon’s doctor Jason Karlawish examined Lyon’s decision to document his life with Alzheimer’s. According to Dr. Karlawish, “No disease is pleasant. That's the nature of disease. To be a patient is to suffer. And Alzheimer's is uniquely unpleasant because it relentlessly chips away at a person's capacities to live according to a cherished ethic - the freedom to choose. In other words, to live autonomously…What makes the answer to this question so compelling is that he's doing this even as he's entirely aware of his symptoms. Some would rather die than live that way. Bill Lyon shows it's possible to be aware and to live well…It makes sense that a sportswriter understands this disease. Life gives us a set of rules, you choose your team, you play the game, and, as you do, even after a few championship seasons, you know sometime it'll be time to hang it up.”

A July 1, 2016 Today.com broadcast segment featured Seth Rogen and Lauren Millers fight against Alzheimer’s with “Hilarity for Charity.” According to the description, “Seth Rogen and his wife, actress Lauren Miller, teamed up to turn a personal tragedy – Miller’s mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at age 55 – into something positive with the fundraising initiative “Hilarity for Charity.” They tell TODAY that since 2012, they have raised over $5 million for Alzheimer’s research and support with events like a bar mitzvah for actor James Franco and concert by Miley Cyrus.”

A July 1, 2016 Science Daily article reported that Rush University researchers have found an “association between diseases in brain blood vessels and dementia.” According to the article, “While strokes are known to increase risk for dementia, much less is known about diseases of large and small blood vessels in the brain, separate from stroke, and how they relate to dementia. Diseased blood vessels in the brain itself, which commonly is found in elderly people, may contribute more significantly to Alzheimer's disease dementia than was previously believed, according to new study results published in June in The Lancet Neurology, a British medical journal.”