USA2 SPOTLIGHT

ICYMI: A March 18, 2016 Daily News opinion piece by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s co-founder Trish Vradenburg underscored the need for all political candidates to address Alzheimer’s. According to Vradenburg, “Now we are neither Democrats nor Republicans. Now we are The Alzheimer’s Party.  Just as this disease is equal opportunity: Ds or Rs; rich or poor; male or female, African-American, Latino or white — we all are at risk…I can see 15 million sure votes here — and that’s just from caregivers of the 5.4 million Alzheimer’s sufferers. But it’s still early. Other candidates can also announce a plan to stop Alzheimer’s.  I eagerly invite them to do just that. Consider this: right now Alzheimer’s costs the U.S. over $200 billion a year and, yet, we’re spending less than $1 billion on research. Crazy, no? If you think research is expensive, try disease.”

Just released: The new Leader’s Guide for Season of Caring (available from Amazon) is a first-of-its-kind guide to facilitating Alzheimer’s and dementia caregiver support groups. Authored by Dr. Richard L. Morgan and published by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Clergy Network, the Leader’s Guide provides structure and guidance for a 10-week support group based on the book Seasons of Caring: Meditations for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregivers.

MUST READS

A March 20, 2016 New York Times article reported on Hillary Clinton’s efforts to engage older voters. According to the article, “In her sweep of the states that voted last week, she captured voters 65 and older by large margins, ranging from 39 percentage points in Missouri to 54 in Ohio. In Virginia, Texas and other Southern states that voted earlier, she won more than 80 percent of these voters, often matching or beating the support Mr. Sanders received from voters 18 to 29…She has also put forth a policy agenda that appeals to older voters, including a detailed plan to fight the rising costs of prescription drugs, a tax credit to family members taking care of sick or elderly loved ones and a promise to more than double the investment into Alzheimer’s research. In her victory speech in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton vowed to ‘protect and expand Social Security for those who need it the most.’”

A March 19, 2016 Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel article explored the reasons behind low levels of African American participation in Alzheimer’s disease studies and efforts to reverse the trend. According to the article, “While African-Americans are nearly twice as likely as whites to develop Alzheimer's disease, a history of abuse and arrogance by the scientific community is frustrating efforts to recruit people of color to join dementia research programs…When Green-Harris began her outreach to Milwaukee's African-American community, it was by providing services. She asked people what they needed. She asked what concerned them most…In time, people began to ask about the Alzheimer's program. That, Green-Harris said, is how she knew people wanted to hear about it: They asked.”

A March 19, 2016 NPR.org article reported on one school’s innovative approach to teaching students about Alzheimer’s and dementia. According to the article, “Greg goes to a private school in Denver, Graland Country Day School, which has developed a multi-subject curriculum for seventh-graders focused around dementia and Alzheimer's disease, in part because the disease is widespread in the U.S…In science class at Graland students learn about the history of the disease, genetic mutations and biochemical changes in the brain. They learn about different medicines and how research is progressing to a cure.” 

RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

A March 18, 2016 Medical News Today article reported that “In the journal Brain, researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland reveal how, when implanted under the skin, the capsule releases antibodies that travel to the brain and trigger the patient's immune system to clear beta-amyloid protein.” According to the article, “However, the researchers of this latest study - including Patrick Aebischer of the Brain Mind Institute at EPFL - note that such a treatment has to be administered in the early stages of cognitive decline to be most effective. This requires repeat injections, which can lead to adverse side effects.”

A March 17, 2016 Boston Herald article reported that “A Massachusetts Institute of Technology neuroscientist has made a breakthrough discovery that researchers say will open countless doors for future Alzheimer’s treatments — memories obscured by the devastating illness have the potential to be restored.” According to the article, “A paper published yesterday online in the science journal “Nature” outlines the study by Roy and his colleagues, which found genetically engineered mice with early-stage Alzheimer’s could recall seemingly “lost” events when memory cells in the brain were stimulated.”