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Alzheimer's Foundation of America

Alzheimer's Foundation of America CEO Resigns

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) announced last week that Eric J. Hall, AFA's founding CEO and president, resigned effective February 1.

Carol Steinberg, who has served as AFA's executive vice president since the organization's founding, has been named acting CEO, while the AFA board of trustees conducts a national search for the organization's next CEO.

"We wish Eric well as he pursues other interests, and thank him for more than a decade of service to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America," said Bert E. Brodsky, chairman of AFA's board of trustees. "During his tenure, AFA has grown into a leading national nonprofit organization, educating the public and professionals, and initiating a wide range of innovative programs and services that have positively impacted countless families across the country. Today, AFA is poised to become an ever more significant national resource as it cares for the increasing number of people facing this devastating disease."

President Obama Puts Spotlight on Alzheimer's Disease in State of the Union Address

President Obama

In his annual State of the Union address this week, President Obama propelled Alzheimer's disease into the limelight when he cited the brain disorder as an example of research efforts necessary to accelerate the nation's economic growth.

 

"Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's... ," he said. "Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation. Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race."

 

Carol Steinberg, AFA's acting CEO, said President Obama's reference "underscores the growing urgency of this disease state--and how far it has come in terms of greater awareness. Our hope is that the recognition of this health crisis on the most public platform translates into action, not only for much-needed research but also for critical supportive services for families. The plight of our aging population and people with Alzheimer's disease in particular must not fall victim to budget tightening. With the rising number of lives impacted, Alzheimer's disease is a huge force to be reckoned with right now."

 

 To reinforce this message, AFA is urging Americans to sign its "Stop Alzheimer's Petition" that urges the president and Congress to fund and implement provisions of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease.

 

Report: Alzheimer's Numbers Expected to Triple by 2050

alzheimer'sA new government-funded study suggests that the number of people with Alzheimer's disease will reach 13.8 million by 2050, a figure nearly triple the estimated 5.1 million people currently diagnosed with the brain disorder.

The findings underscore the urgency of providing quality care and support for individuals and their families affected by Alzheimer's disease, and add further weight to the need for federal leaders to fund and move forward on recommendations in the historic "National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease," according to a statement released last week by AFA in response to the new projections. Recently, AFA put forth more than three dozen recommendations in a report entitled "Time to Build" that expand upon the plan's current goals and take the initiative to the next level.

Read more...

Federal Officials Release Draft Treatment Guidance for Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week issued draft guidelines to help researchers identify and select people without overt symptoms of dementia for participation in clinical trials, with the ultimate goal of developing new treatments for people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease or those who are at risk for the brain disorder.

Currently, the FDA requires that treatments demonstrate an effect on both a person's abnormal thinking and functioning. Since individuals with early-stage Alzheimer's disease have little-to-no impairment in global functioning, it is difficult to assess changes and determine if a given treatment is clinically effective, the FDA explained.

The draft guidance is part of the government's efforts under the "National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease" to conduct clinical trials in at-risk, asymptomatic individuals and to validate ways to measure the disease at the earliest possible time.

The FDA is seeking public comment until April 9.

Read more...

Horticultural Therapist Named Dementia Care Professional of the Year

2012 DCPA Pro of the YearRecognizing more than 16 years of service to the dementia community, AFA honored Gwenn Fried, manager of NYU Langone Medical Center's Rusk Rehabilitation horticultural therapy services in New York, as the 2012 Dementia Care Professional of the Year in a ceremony on February 7.

Fried is credited with creating a weekly horticultural therapy support group for people in the middle to late stages of Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers.

Group participants were among the more than 50 people who attended the heartfelt award ceremony, held at a New York church where the group currently meets while a new garden room is being constructed at the hospital.

AFA's professional membership and training division, Dementia Care Professionals of America (DCPA), has given out the award annually since 2008 to a professional who epitomizes excellence in care, compassion and commitment.

Read more...

News to Use

 

  • February is American Heart Month. Studies show that the very same risk factors for heart disease - including lack of exercise, smoking, diabetes and obesity - also put people at greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. It's important to know your risk factors. Learn more.
  • The Administration for Community Living is hosting "Caregiving for People with Dementia and Intellectual Disabilities, Including Down Syndrome," an informational teleconference on February 14 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. (ET) for professionals who work with people with dementia or intellectual disabilities and/or their caregivers. Register online or by calling 888-869-1189. 
  • The "Understanding Dementia Care Tour," co-sponsored by AFA and Senior Helpers and featuring dementia care expert Teepa Snow, continues on the road in March. Seminars for healthcare professionals and/or family caregivers will be held in Carmel, IN; Park Ridge, IL; and Maumee, OH. For details and to register, click here

News Updates   

  • Regular Exercise in Middle Age May Lower Dementia Risk... A new study shows that healthy people with an average age of 50 who are physically fit may have a lower risk of developing dementia in their 70's and 80's. Research participants who were considered the most fit in middle age were 36 percent less likely to develop dementia when compared with those least fit. Read more...
  • Natural Chemicals in Red Wine, Green Tea May Help Stop Alzheimer's Disease... Preliminary laboratory experiments show that adding purified extracts of EGCG from green tea and resveratrol from red wine to human and animal brains cells blocked the Alzheimer's disease process. They prevented sticky clumps of amyloid protein - a hallmark characteristic of the brain disorder - from latching on to another protein, called prions, on the surface of brain cells and causing them to die. Read more...
  • Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases Not Contagious... A new study shows that people do not face an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease if brain proteins are transferred from person to person through transplants or blood transfusions. The finding was based on a study of children injected with a human growth hormone that came from the deceased bodies of people who may have had one of these degenerative diseases. Read more...
  • Amyloid Build-Up in Blood Vessels Worsens Cognitive Impairment... Researchers have identified the mechanism behind the accumulation of amyloid proteins in the brain's blood vessels, which accelerate cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease by limiting the flow of oxygen and other nutrients to the brain. Using animal models, scientists also found that an immune receptor known as CD36 is responsible for promoting protein accumulation in blood vessels known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA); targeting CD36 could help reverse cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease by preventing CAA. Read more...

 

 
    
February 14, 2013
Volume 6 Issue 4
  

  

 

 Brett Eldredge

 Brett Eldredge Continues His Support for AFA 

 

Atlantic Records recording artist Brett Eldredge sang his heart out for the premiere of "Live From Music Square," a concert event in Nashville, TN on February 12 on StageIt, a site that live-streams music performances online.

Music fans had a chance to chat with Eldredge, and were encouraged to show their support for the singer through StageIt's virtual "Tip Jar."

Eldredge, whose grandmother had Alzheimer's disease and whose first single "Raymond" paid tribute to her, is donating the proceeds from the "Tip Jar" to AFA.

 

 

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 February 14 

Teleconference for Family & Professional Caregivers

 

"Identifying and Managing Fall Risks in People With Alzheimer's Disease." 
1:00 p.m. (ET)
 
Guest Speaker: Rein Tideiksaar Ph.D., PA-C, president, FallPrevent, LLC, Blackwood, NJ, and author of "Implementing a Best Practices Fall Prevention Program." 
For more information, click here
  
 
  

Member Organizations:

Last Chance to Enter AFA's Valentine's Day Photo Contest!

 

Send us photos of couples, parents and children, caregivers, or anything that demonstrates the power of love for AFA's Valentine's Day Photo Contest.

 

Photos must be accompanied by a short story describing the picture. Photos will be posted on AFA's Facebook page throughout February; the photo with the most "Likes" will win a $250 prize from AFA to use towards program improvement.

 

Please submit photos and descriptions by February 22.   

  

  

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Stop Alzheimer's Petition
 

Speak out now against Alzheimer's disease. Together we can become a chorus of voices echoing through the halls of Washington, DC, speaking for those who are in the shadows. 
 
  
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The Legacy Society
AFA's Legacy Society offers special recognition to individuals who have included AFA in their wills or estate plans.
 
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Alzheimer's Foundation of America
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. 
 Visit us at www.alzfdn.org or call us toll-free at 866-232-8484.

If you have a question or concern that you would like to discuss with a social worker, write [email protected] or call (toll-free) 866-232-8484.