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Alzheimer's Foundation of America

Report: Alzheimer's Disease Fastest-Growing Threat to U.S. Health

ushealthAlzheimer's disease is now one of the fastest-growing health threats in the United States and ranks 12th in the cause of health burden, mostly due to Americans' longer lifespans, according to country-specific data released earlier this month that is tied to an international report on health trends.

The comprehensive report, "Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010" looks at health trends covering 291 diseases in 187 countries based on demographics, disease and disability. Involving 500 researchers and aimed at assisting with health policy discussions, the findings and accompanying online data visualization tools were prepared by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Federal Agency Proposes New Rules That Could Speed Alzheimer's Drug Development

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a new policy that could speed the development of Alzheimer's drugs by approving medications used in clinical trials that improve memory and reasoning abilities in people in the early stage of the disease who have not yet developed problems with day-to-day functioning.

 

The proposal, published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, would mark a relaxation of current policy that requires pharmaceuticals to demonstrate better outcomes in both thinking and functioning in order to gain approval to bring a drug to market.

News to Use

  • March Is National Nutrition Awareness Month. The Administration for Community Living will host a Webinar on March 27 at 11:00 a.m. (ET) titled, "Good Nutrition Is a Key to Health: A Conversation with Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging." Register here. 
  • The "Understanding Dementia Care Tour," co-sponsored by AFA and Senior Helpers and featuring dementia care expert Teepa Snow, continues on the road. Seminars for healthcare professionals and/or family caregivers will be held in Edina, MN on March 22. Register here.
  • Program Combines Art and Education. The New York-based Arts & Minds is accepting applications for a six-week program of workshops and gallery visits for family and professional caregivers that will explore how to stimulate interaction with people with dementia through discussions about works of art. The program will be held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from April 11 to May 16, and is funded by a grant from AFA. To apply, call 646-755-3726

News Updates   

  • Sleep Loss Linked to Early Alzheimer's Symptoms... A new study has found that sleep disruption may be a pre-cursor of Alzheimer's disease symptoms. Researchers found people who have amyloid plaques in their brains--a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease--but are not yet cognitively impaired had poorer sleep efficiency when compared with those who did not have markers for the disease.
  • Exposure to New Activities May Block Dementia... Extensive and intensive exposure to an enriched environment--exercise, mental stimulation and social interactions--may help protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.  In experiments done on mice, scientists found that this stimulation, especially from new activities, activated certain adrenalin-related brain receptors that blocked amyloid protein from weakening communication between nerve cells in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory.
  • Structured Eating Program Helps People With Dementia... A regimented program of memory training and Montessori-like structured activities that promotes proper and regular eating habits improved nutrition and lowered depression symptoms for people with dementia when compared to study participants who were not put on the protocol, according to a small, Taiwanese study.
  • Experimental Drug May Improve Memory in People with Moderate Alzheimer's Disease... A drug, ORM-12741, that alters the brain's "fight or flight" response improved memory in people with moderate Alzheimer's disease who took it as an additional therapy to their cholinesterase medication or cholinesterase and memantine medications to treat Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers presenting at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting. Participants on ORM-12741 improved their memory by four percent after three months when compared with those who took a placebo.
  • Brain Scans Detect Amyloid Buildup Before Dementia Begins... An Australian study involving 200 people, including some with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment, found that deposits of amyloid protein--a hallmark of the brain disorder--starts to build up as much as 20 years before symptoms of Alzheimer's disease appear.  

 

 

 
    
March 14, 2013
Volume 6 Issue 6
  

  

 

 

Bluegrass Concert for AFA

 

Michelle Canning and her award-winning bluegrass band, the Rough Edges, are sponsoring their second annual concert to benefit AFA, "A Night on the Edge!" on March 23 in North Billerica, MA. The five-piece band hopes to top last year's proceeds of $3,000.  Tickets are $10.

After watching her grandfather go through Alzheimer's disease, Canning turned to her music for release and co-wrote an emotion-packed ballad with the band's guitar player that pays tribute to people with the brain disorder. 

  

 

  

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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.