MUST READS 

A December 14, 2016 Daily Mail UK article reported that “Alzheimer's may be as manageable as HIV within a decade, the head of a major new dementia institute predicted last night.” According to the article, “Professor De Strooper added: ‘I’m a scientist so I don’t look into crystal balls but I would put a lot of money on saying that the next generation will have a completely different view of dementia disorders.”

A December 13, 2016 WebMD.com article highlighted setbacks in the Alzheimer’s drug development field. According to the article, “The success rate for Alzheimer’s drugs is .5%. There’s been no new drug approved in the U.S. since memantine (Namenda) in 2003. That drug aims to help symptoms such as memory problems but can't halt the long-term progression of the disease. The Alzheimer's research community is now where cancer research was 20 or 30 years ago, Lawlor says. If someone gets a diagnosis of cancer these days, there is optimism about treatment and people ask, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ However, he says, ‘if you get a diagnosis of Alzheimer's now, it seems like the kiss of death.’”

A December 13, 2016 FiveThirtyEight.com article reported that a new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “found that neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s were the third leading cause of death in 2014 and were prevalent across the country.” 

A December 14, 2016 Disability Scoop article reported that “The U.S. Senate ended its session for the year without granting final approval to legislation known as Kevin and Avonte’s Law.” According to the article, “The measure would have expanded an existing federal program that helps people with Alzheimer’s disease who have a tendency to elope to include children with autism and other developmental disabilities too.”

A December 13, 2016 Independent Record article reported that “Stanford University researchers asked 875 people aged 65 and older if they would take a free, accurate test to predict their future risk of the progressive brain disorder” and “Three-quarters said they would take such a test.” 

A December 12, 2016 Los Angeles Times article report that “An unarmed 73-year-old man whose family said was in the initial stages of dementia was shot and killed early Monday by a Bakersfield police officer, authorities said.”