|
U.S. Government Releases Historic Alzheimer's Plan | |
The U.S. government released on May 15 an historic national plan that seeks to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's disease by 2025, as well as improve the care of individuals already living with the disease and provide long-term support services to families.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released the annual plan at the "Alzheimer's Disease Research Summit 2012" in Washington, D.C., which was hosted by the National Institutes of Health and HHS. A national plan to address Alzheimer's disease was mandated under the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA), which was passed by Congress in 2010 and signed into law by President Obama in January 2011.
With the release of the plan, Alzheimer's disease stakeholders, including the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA), are now pressing the government to swiftly implement its provisions.
"We must foster the spirit of commitment and cooperation that has gotten us to this point so that we can put legs on this plan, ensure seamless implementation, and garner funding for scientific research and care. We must forge ahead and act on NAPA now so we can truly advance long-lasting change," said Eric J. Hall, AFA's president and CEO and a member of the Advisory Council on Research, Care and Services that has been advising on the development of the national strategy.
Immediate action steps in the national plan include funding a clinical study aimed at preventing the disease by studying healthy adults genetically predisposed to early-onset Alzheimer's disease, and another trial testing whether insulin therapy can help restore memory. In addition, the government has initiated a national education and awareness campaign, and will begin offering free training to doctors and other healthcare professionals on how to properly diagnose and care for people with Alzheimer's disease.
An estimated 5.1 million Americans are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and its incidence is rising in line with the aging population. The plan notes that, "Given the great demographic shifts that will occur over the next 30 years, including the doubling of the population of older adults, the success of this effort is of great importance to people with Alzheimer's disease and their family members, public policy makers, and health and social service providers." |
|
Alzheimer's Research Summit Outlines Strategies to Defeat Disease
| |
As Alzheimer's disease gains increasing attention worldwide, an international group of about 500 researchers, clinicians and other stakeholders gathered in mid-May at the "Alzheimer's Disease Research Summit 2012: Path to Research and Prevention" in Washington, D.C. to formulate a blueprint to speed the development of disease-modifying as well as symptomatic therapies across the continuum of Alzheimer's disease.
The two-day meeting was hosted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and coincided with HHS' release of the nation's first Alzheimer's plan. Workshop groups identified research priorities and the types of infrastructures, resources and new public-private partnerships needed to successfully achieve the agenda.
According to NIH, strategies include: intensifying scientific efforts to deepen the understanding of the complex pathobiology of Alzheimer's disease; providing an expedited review track for applications focused on drug discovery, preclinical, and clinical drug development for Alzheimer's disease; initiating treatment trials in asymptomatic, at-risk individuals; and exploring the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions. |
|
|
Study Suggests Veterans Exposed to Explosions May Face Dementia
| |
Just as the nation readies to honor veterans on Memorial Day this weekend, new research has found that military personnel exposed to blasts may be at risk of developing a form of dementia that is linked to repetitive trauma to the brain over a period of time.
In conducting autopsies on the brains of a group of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found signs of a disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a progressive degenerative brain disorder marked by tau protein deposits in the brain that kill nerve cells. The disease has impacted many former athletes who have had concussions.
The small study compared the autopsied brains of the veterans with the brains of a group of athletes who had a history of concussions, as well as mice who were exposed to a simulated blast. A national spotlight on CTE was shed when a star college football player committed suicide in 2010, and an autopsy showed brain damage indicative of CTE. The news prompted urgent cries from doctors and parents for athletes involved in high-contact sports to take more preventative measures against head injuries and trauma, a major risk factor for dementia.
|
|
Pop Icon David Cassidy on Alzheimer's Disease: "It Takes a Tremendous Toll on Caregivers"
|
 | | David Cassidy was the keynote speaker at AFA's "Five Boroughs Concepts in Care Conference" |
Pop culture icon David Cassidy recently opened up about his mother's struggle with Alzheimer's disease, and stressed how important it is for the public to understand the full scope of the disease.
Cassidy, well-known for his role on TV's "The Partridge Family," was the keynote speaker at AFA's "Five Boroughs Concepts in Care Conference" in New York City on May 18. In his luncheon address and in a series of media interviews for AFA on the morning of the conference, Cassidy recalled how his mother's declining memory and wandering led to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease seven years ago; his mother, actress Evelyn Ward, is now living in a care facility in Los Angeles.
"We need to raise awareness of Alzheimer's," said the award-winning entertainer. "People don't know how to cope or what to do. It also takes a tremendous toll on the caregivers themselves. It's the most painful thing I've ever experienced." |
|
News to Use: | |
- The U.S. Department of Health and Services recently kicked off a campaign to educate adults 50 years and older about the importance of registering to be organ, eye, and tissue donors, and to dispel the myth that there are age limits on organ donations. In 2011, people 50 and older accounted for 32 percent of donors but 60 percent of the total number of transplants.
- As part of the newly-released national Alzheimer's plan, the U.S. government unveiled a new one-stop Web site, www.alzheimers.gov, for easy-to-understand information about dementia as well as local and national resources.
|
|
News Update |
- Having purpose in life may help stop Alzheimer's disease... A study involving the elderly showed that having a purpose in life may be associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, and suggests that engaging in meaningful activities promotes cognitive health in later life. While the neurobiologic effects are still unknown, researchers found that participants without dementia who reported higher levels of purpose in life exhibited better cognitive function over time compared to others with less purpose, even as plaques and tangles-the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease-accumulated in their brains. Read more...
- New clues on brain cell death... When brain cells overproduce the protein amyloid, the hallmark protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, a group of cells known as astrocytes that protect and deliver nutrients to neurons become inflamed. As a result, according to a new study, the astrocytes retaliate by producing a duo of the lipid ceramide and protein PAR-4 that ultimately kills both the neuron and astrocyte. Scientists suggest this could help explain brain cell death and shrinkage found in Alzheimer's disease. Read more...
- Omega-3 may help lower risk of Alzheimer's disease... A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods such as salmon and nuts, significantly reduced levels of the protein beta-amyloid that is typically found in people with Alzheimer's disease according to a new study. In studying people without dementia, researchers discovered that eating one more gram of omega-3 was associated a 20 percent to 30 percent reduction of beta-amyloid levels in the blood. Read more...
- Study finds potential autoimmune component in Alzheimer's disease... The production of specific autoantibodies when dying or damaged brain cells release debris into the bloodstream may be reliable biomarkers for an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, scientists have found. The release of damaged proteins from the dying brain cells triggered the production of these autoantibodies that scientists say mirrors a process also seen in autoimmune disorders. Read more...
|
  Connect with AFA on Facebook and Twitter! |
If you have a question or concern that you would like to discuss with a social worker, please write info@alzfdn.org or call (toll-free) 866-AFA-8484.
© 2012 Alzheimer's Foundation of America
|
|
|
|
|
Remember Loved Ones for Memorial Day |
AFA invites you to remember or honor veterans and other loved ones affected by Alzheimer's disease or a related illness by recording their names in AFA's Book of Remembrance. |
|
What Does the National Alzheimer's Plan Mean to You? | |
How will the plan impact you as a person with Alzheimer's disease, caregiver or other family member, healthcare professional, community organization or researcher? Send us your feedback on Facebook!
| |
| Caregiving Seminars Upcoming in June |
AFA and Senior Helpers, one of the nation's leading in-home care agencies, are co-sponsoring a series of educational and interactive events for family and professional caregivers this June in Tennessee and Oregon. The seminars, entitled "Understanding Dementia Care," feature dementia care expert Teepa Snow. AFA CEO Eric J. Hall will present an overview of the new national Alzheimer's plan.
Free workshops for family caregivers will focus on how to have a positive and meaningful relationship with loved ones with dementia. Seminars for professionals, which offer continuing education credits and have a registration fee, will discuss successful interaction strategies. The events also include a heartfelt display of the AFA Quilt to Remember that pays tribute to people affected by Alzheimer's disease.
Dates and locations below:
Thursday, June 7: Madison, TN
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Family caregivers free. For more information and to register, click here
Friday, June 8: Nashville, TN
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Healthcare professionals- $35 per CE attendee. $20 per non-CE attendee. For more information and to register, click here
Thursday, June 21: Portland, OR
9:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Healthcare professionals -$25 per CE attendee. $10 per non-CE attendee. For more information and to register, click here
Thursday, June 21: Portland, OR
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Family caregivers free. For more information and to register, click here
Note: The AFA Quilt to Remember will be displayed on June 7 from 12:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. at the Skyline Hospital Madison Campus in Madison, TN, and June 21 from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. at the St. Pius X Catholic Church Community Center in Portland, OR.
|
|
AFA recently announced the formation of a Legacy Society, which offers special recognition to individuals who have included AFA in their wills or estate plans. Information about AFA's new Legacy Society is available at
www.alzfdn.org or by contacting AFA at 866.232.8484
|
| Want to support AFA on a regular basis? Donors can now make recurring monthly donations to AFA. A recurring monthly donation is a charge that is automatically deducted from your credit card each month. You may cancel at any time. To make convenient, automatic monthly donations, or a one-time donation, click here. |
| Our Mission |
 |
|
Our mission is "to provide optimal care and services to individuals confronting dementia, and to their caregivers and families--through member organizations dedicated to improving quality of life."
|
| Contact Us |
|
To obtain more information about AFA, visit us at www.alzfdn.org or call us toll-free at 866-AFA-8484. |
|
| |
|
