USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A January 8, 2020 Kelly’s Alzheimer’s blog piece by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s advocate Kelly Bone, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, explored her travel bucket list. “If you don’t have a bucket list, I encourage you to to write one and include any travel or other experiences that you want to accomplish in your lifetime and start doing them… Tomorrow is not promised. It is a gift. I am so thankful to my Mom to give me the wake up call to start living my life, and not put off things until tomorrow,” wrote Bone.

MUST READS

A January 8, 2020 Biocentury article referenced the “New Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Industry Commitment to Patients & the Public,” signed by more than 200 executives from small to mid-sized biopharma companies, investors and academic researchers focused on gaining public trust and putting patients first. They committed to pricing responsibly, ensuring patient access and facilitating generic drugs. According to the article, “The authors have invited the public to hold them accountable for complying with the commitment. But it remains to be seen if this can move the needle: public trust will not be regained easily; there are few specifics in the commitment; and the most controversial provisions, those related to drug pricing, are broad and subject to interpretation.”

CAREGIVING CORNER

A January 7, 2020 The Atlantic article by Ada Calhoun looked to her own experience as a “sandwich” Gen X’er, raising her own family while simultaneously caring for aging parents. The average caregiver is a 49-year-old working woman, who is more likely to be a child of divorce than her predecessors, potentially further complicating caregiving. Monthly costs to care for an aging relative average around $7,000, but are even higher for people with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. According to the article, “Since the 1980s, middle-aged adults have been called the “sandwich generation,” wedged between caring for their parents and raising their kids… I find myself drawn to a less friendly analogy: not that of fresh Wonder Bread slices gently squishing us, but that of panini grills pressing us flat.”

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

A January 8, 2020 Arab News article reported on the Saudi Alzheimer’s Disease Association’s fourth international conference in Riyadh this month. According to the article, “The association’s work, backed by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aims to help provide sufferers and their families with the necessary support to cope with the condition, as part of the Vision 2030 plan. Through various strategic partnerships in the health sector, the Saudi government intends to boost care services for those dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Apply for the Milken Institute’s FasterCures LeadersLink Program, which supports the personal development of emerging leaders of nonprofit organizations that fund or conduct biomedical research. The 2020 theme is venture philanthropy investing. The program is geared toward nonprofit chief executives who are still relatively new to their role or organization. Deadline is February 14, 2020. Click here to apply.