USA2 SPOTLIGHT  

A September 14, 2016 CapeCod.com article by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s partner Greg O’Brien, an advocate living with Alzheimer’s, highlighted his relationship with his physician Barry Conant. According to O’Brien, “Our regular Saturday breakfasts are akin to an encounter in Tuesdays with Morrie, only with both of us in the role of Morrie. Two guys trying to beat the curve, dead men still walking. Barry, at 60, has pancreatic cancer with a 12-percent chance of survival within the next three years; he also has a defibrillator in his chest, an inherited heart condition.  I’ve been diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s, a disease that stole my maternal grandfather, my mother and my paternal uncle. Before my father’s death, he was diagnosed with dementia as well…I tell him that I am motivated by fear. But today we find each other along this journey, seeking the essence of truth, trying to separate the real from the imagined. A favorite Old Testament scripture, I note, is Isaiah 6:8:’Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, ‘Here I am. Sent me!’’”

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A September 13, 2016 New York Times Op-Docs piece highlighted the life of an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s living in Chile whose memory works “against the striking backdrop of her fiercely intense personality.” According to the article, “Watching her grapple with her affliction, we saw that the contrast of her memory’s limitations with the strength of her character could not have been clearer, not even if scripted for a fiction film. So as directors from different nations, with different languages, we worked to fit her experience into one that transcended that of a Spanish immigrant to Chile, into one that felt fittingly universal. Josebe’s character and actions flow naturally before the camera. She was our guide, showing us how this film should unfold.”

A September 13, 2016 Science Daily article reported that “Relying on clinical symptoms of memory loss to diagnose Alzheimer's disease may miss other forms of dementia caused by Alzheimer's that don't initially affect memory, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.”

A September 14, 2016 Reuters article reported that “AC Immune, the Swiss biotech company working on treatments for Alzheimer's disease, has set the pricing band for its keenly awaited U.S. initial public offering, valuing the firm at about $700 million, at the top end of the range.”

New Report: Families Caring for an Aging America - The report provides an overview of the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults as well as its personal impact on caregivers’ health, economic security, and overall well-being. The report committee included LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Network advisor Maria Aranda, PhD, Associate Professor, USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging.

FROM AROUND THE WEB

NPR: Denmark's 'House Of Memories' Re-Creates 1950s For Alzheimer's Patients

New York Times: Vitamin B12 as Protection for the Aging Brain