AFA Lights the Nation Teal for Alzheimer's Awareness
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Tonight, as the skies darken , more than two dozen landmarks across the country will be lit up in teal in support of Alzheimer's awareness. AFA's Light the Nation campaign, which kicked off with eight U.S. landmarks in 2014, has nearly quadrupled its participation this year.
Sites from the Empire State Building to Los Angeles International Airport, in the U.S., and from the Sichuan Tower in China to the fountains in London's Trafalgar Square have signed on to light up in support of the campaign.
 Following is a full list of participating sites: - RSA Battle House Tower, Mobile, Ala.
- RSA Tower Building, Montgomery, Ala.
- Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa/Convention Center, Montgomery, Ala.
- Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, Calif.
- Willis Tower, Chicago, Ill.
- The Wrigley Building, Chicago, Ill.
- LaSalle Plaza, Minneapolis, Minn.
- Wells Fargo Duke Energy Center, Charlotte, N.C.
- Woodmen Life Tower, Omaha, Neb.
- Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Rundel Memorial Library Building, Rochester, N.Y.
- The Shops at Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y.
- The Empire State Building, New York, N.Y.
- The Peace Bridge, Buffalo, N.Y. and Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
- City Hall of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio
- Terminal Tower, Cleveland, Ohio
- Skydance Bridge, Oklahoma City, Okla.
- Allegheny County Executive Office and Courthouse, Pittsburgh, Pa.
- Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.
- Houston City Hall, Houston, Texas
- High Level Bridge, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Sails of Light at Port Metro, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Sichuan Tower, Chengdu, China
- Trafalgar Square Fountains, London, England, United Kingdom
- Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Gateshead, England, United Kingdom
- Emirates Spinnaker Tower, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
- The Convention Center Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
If you're in one of these cities, we'd love to see your photos. Share them with us on social media using #AFALighttheNation.
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Washington Update:
NAPA Advisory Board Welcomes New Non-Federal Members
The Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care and Services, which guides the implementation of the "National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease," held its quarterly meeting last week. At this meeting, the Council welcomed new, non-federal committee members, who replaced individuals whose terms ended in September. They are:
- Myriam Marquez - a patient advocate who has been diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer's in 2009.
- Sowande Tichawonna - a family caregiver and award-winning independent filmmaker and actor from Washington, D.C.
- Gary Epstein-Lubow - an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University.
- Laura Gitlin - a professor and the Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Innovative Care in Aging.
- Angela Taylor - Director of Programs at the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA).
- Donna Walberg - dementia program specialist for the Minnesota Board on Aging.
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) welcomes these new members and looks forward to working with them to further shape the national plan and get us to the common goal of finding a cure or modifying treatment by 2025.
The Council also provided a primer on Alzheimer's disease and the national plan, and updates on plan development from its three subcommittees. Among the updates, the research subcommittee announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will again be holding an Alzheimer's disease research summit in March 2016. The clinical subcommittee reported on new innovative care models as part of the Medicaid innovation accelerator program. The long-term care supports and services subcommittee discussed continued improvement on the goal of lowering the use antipsychotics in nursing home settings and a new "What is Brain Health?" awareness campaign.
The next Advisory Council meeting is scheduled for January 19, 2016 in Washington, DC.
Congress and White House Come to Budget Agreement -- Impact on Alzheimer's Disease Funding Uncertain
Congress and the White House approved a budget deal that avoids, for now, a government default over debt limits and sets up federal spending targets for fiscal year (FY) 2016 and 2017. Under this agreement, spending caps will increase by $50 billion in FY'16 ($25 billion increase for domestic programs; $25 billion increase for military) and $30 billion in FY'17 ($15 billion for domestic programs; $15 billion for military). To pay for these increases, the bill calls for Medicare payment cuts to certain providers along with selling some of the U.S. strategic petroleum reserves.
While budget caps have been set, spending numbers for individual government agencies are still unknown. Earlier this year, both Senate and House Appropriations Committees made funding for Alzheimer's disease research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a priority and approved budgets with a $300 million increase included in the House bill and $350 million in the Senate. Yet, the fate of the budgets approved by these Congressional appropriators is still unclear. It is expected that the final spending package for FY'16 will come up for a vote in early to mid-December.
To ensure that the budget for NIH includes these historic increases in Alzheimer's disease research funding, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America urges you to contact your Congressional delegations and urge them to pass a budget that includes at least $350 million for Alzheimer's disease research at NIH. You can reach your Congressperson via the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-225-3121. Not sure who to contact? Click here.
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Young Leadership Spotlight
AFA On Campus
Loyola University Maryland
 Sisters Colleen and Katie Kammerer know first-hand the toll Alzheimer's disease can take on families. When Colleen was six and Katie five, their dad, just 42 at the time, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. At first the changes were subtle. "The only thing I noticed was that he wasn't working anymore," Colleen recalls. During their teen years, their dad's condition worsened. "I would like to think I was prepared," said Colleen, "but when your parent forgets who you are and you have to explain 'I'm your daughter,' it just hits you in ways you hadn't thought it would." "There were a lot of tough times when my dad started to advance and there were plenty of times when I felt like I wanted to give up," said Katie. "But with the support of my mom and my siblings, we were all able to get through those tough times. This really developed who I am as a person." The pair recently founded a chapter of AFA On Campus at Loyola University Maryland, where they will help educate other younger generation caregivers about the disease and raise awareness. The chapter has five founding members and so far more than 100 people have expressed interest in joining. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel," said Colleen. It's an extremely hard road to travel, but there are amazing people out there and you don't have to do it alone." Kathleen echoes that sentiment, adding, "things will get hard, especially when your loved one enters the more advanced stages of the disease, but you can never give up. There are people who can support you and help you get through this. Your loved one who is sick still loves you also and you have to remember that for yourself and for them." For more info on AFA's youth leadership programming, click here.
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Member Spotlight
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Move with Balance
Paia, Hawaii
Karen Peterson founded Move with Balance, an exercise program designed to help prevent falls and falls-related injuries in seniors in 2005. Upon receiving a grant from Alzheimer's Foundation of America, Peterson set about creating a version of Move with Balance designed specifically for individuals with Alzheimer's disease.
For this program, Move with Balance teamed with Maui Adult Day Care, to recruit 10 seniors who have Alzheimer's or a related dementia and also recruited 10 loving and compassionate fit seniors to serve as their mentors. Each class begins with a 10-minute icebreaker. Mentees arrive and sit at a coloring table with their mentors participating in activities such as writing with both hands at the same time. This gives mentees a chance to connect with their mentors before heading into the classroom setting for the main program.
The mentees feel safe with their mentors and have formed warm and caring relationships. Many recognize their mentors week after week.
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News to Use
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National Memory Screening Week Continues
AFA' National Memory Screening Week, offering free, confidential memory screenings at sites nationwide, continues through November 7. Click here to find a site.
November 11 - For the Love of Joseph DiSanto
Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco will perform live at AFA's sold-out "For the Love of Joseph DiSanto," benefit. DiSanto, Maniscalco's grandfather, passed away from Alzheimer's disease in 2005. Maniscalco, who gained fame through his Showtime special, "Aren't You Embarrassed" is a strong supporter of the Alzheimer's cause and AFA.
November 17 Webinar: What Is PBA? Do I Have It? An Overview of Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA) in Alzheimer's Dementia
Presented through a grant from Avanir Pharmaceuticals, this webinar examines the incidence and prevalence of PBA in Alzheimer's Dementia, how to identify symptoms and what to do about them. Nearly two million Americans with certain neurologic conditions are estimated to suffer from these uncontrollable outbursts of crying or laughing. PBA doesn't discriminate. It can affect men and women, old and young. Learn about this underserved and often misdiagnosed condition, and what you can do.
Bijal Sheth, PharmD, medical science liaison at Avanir, will share information and resources to help family and professional caregivers recognize and treat the signs of PBA. Register here for the 11 a.m. EST session and here for the 3 p.m. EST session.
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Bid Now!
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Support AFA and get two first-tier tickets to Sebastian Maniscalco's sold-out NYC performance, plus a meet & greet.
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