Calendar:
ACA’s annual Walk will be virtual, the first week in November. To learn more about Move for your Memories visit our website www.alzca.org and click on the Walking to Remember icon to review the details – including how to get your free Team Leader t-shirts (order by Monday, August 24). Or go directly to www.alzca.org/walk-team-registration
Managing Dementia Care in the Time of COVID-19 with Teepa Snow, free via Zoom conference presented by Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod, Saturday, August 29, 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM CST. COVID-19 has not diminished the needs of families dealing with dementia diseases, it has increased them. Staying safe during a pandemic is challenging enough for most of us; keeping someone with cognitive loss safe adds a whole other layer of difficulty to the mix. The challenges Alzheimer’s families are facing is unprecedented, and requires an unprecedented response. To register for the free conference, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/john-levin-memorial-virtual-free-alzheimers-conference-with-teepa-snow-tickets-109989355122.
M4A is offering free online training the first and third Wednesday of each month, from 10:00 am – 11:30. CEU’s offered. For more info: https://mailchi.mp/eea68af4b62f/scehhrgant-7873502?e=029e09a760
September 2: Medicare Coverage and Social Security
September 16: Documents and Property Arrangements to Prepare for Death & Disability
The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement is sharing a documentary series with you, Alzheimer’s – The Science of Prevention. It was produced by neurologist David Perlmutter, M.D, and will give you the inside scoop on how and what to do for your long-term cognitive health. The series is available, from September 9th – 20th. Register here to watch this series for free and learn from leading experts in brain science.
UsAgainstAlzheimers is hosting the 2020 virtual National Research Summit, October 19-21, here is the registration link
Peter Muir, Ph.D., reminds us singing is a universal gift that can do so much to enhance the lives of those with dementia. The international performer, educator, and musicologist has started an online singing group called the Virtual Songbirds. Sponsored by a not-for-profit called Reach Out Arts (ReachOutArts.org), the group is ideally suited to those with dementia and their caregivers. It’s free and meets via Zoom on Tuesdays 5:30 pm CT. Emailmail@reachoutarts.org if you would like to join.
Visit AFA’s Facebook page to take part in fun online programs. Enjoy art, music and movement. Programs can be viewed at any time during or after the event.
Zoom Support Groups available online:
- ACA’s Coffee Talk with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, September 1, 11 – noon CT. Call (205) 871-7970 or mpiggott@alzca.org.
- Join us on zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88250086658
- CJFS CARES, Mondays at 1:30 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
- Founders Place at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Tuesday’s at 10 am, contact Susan Logan, susanlogan65@gmail.com
- Lakeside Hospice, 1st Tuesday of each month, 2:00 pm, contact Bit Thomaston, bthomaston@lakesidehospice.org
- West Alabama Area Agency on Aging, Caregiver Support Group, Tuesdays, contact Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@westal.org.
- Lakeside Hospice, 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm, contact Bit Thomaston, bthomaston@lakesidehospice.org
- CJFS CARES, Thursdays, 7:30 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
Alzheimer’s News:
Author Dr. Anne Basting offers her perspective on the intersection of creativity and caring. “Dementia brings me and my family to that deepest place of meaning, where our human frailty and our unique human capacity to imagine entwine. Where we can experience breathtaking beauty and heart-wrenching sorrow simultaneously. Dementia brings us to creative care.” Read a short excerpt from her newly published book Creative Care: A Revolutionary Approach to Dementia and Elder Care: If someone seems in pain, you can ask a beautiful question to understand more.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has put many older adults’ social lives on hold, leaving them at greater risk for loneliness. Loneliness has been found to increase the risk of developing dementia by as much as 20%. In fact, loneliness has an influence similar to other more well-established dementia risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, physical inactivity and hearing loss. http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/syndicated/social-isolation-prolonged-loneliness-covid-19-raises-dementia-risk-older-adults/
The NFL considers concussions serious injuries, but that has not always been the case. Now, 20,000 Black players who sustained repeated brain injuries during their NFL careers are suing the league over claims of racially discriminatory treatment. Learn more
Epidemiologists at Boston University focused on the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS), a landmark investigation that has followed 59,000 African American women since 1995, and looked at how racism might impact cognition in African American women. They found that women reporting the most racism scored lower on tests of cognitive function than those who reported few such experiences. https://theconversation.com/racism-linked-to-cognitive-decline-in-african-american-women-143792
Tight Knit, a new podcast series recorded before the Covid19 pandemic, features stories on the many ways people are working to build stronger relationships and communities—and explores both the complexity and joy that come with providing care for a loved one.
Darby Morthardt of Northwestern University talks about how FTD caregivers are coping during the Covid19 pandemic. https://www.theaftd.org/ftd-caregiving-in-a-pandemic/
Although the number of people with dementia continues to increase, the rate of growth has declined by 13 percent in each of the past three decades. The brain disorder currently affects nearly 50 million people worldwide and nearly 6 million in the United States. The new finding, reported by Harvard researchers in the journal Neurology, suggests that the number of people developing dementia in coming years may be less than expected. Nonetheless, that number — known as the prevalence of dementia — is expected to triple in the next 30 years, growing to more than 150 million people worldwide, due in large part to increases in life expectancy and population size.https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/dementia-rate-of-growth-decline/2020/08/21/171d7fe8-e2f8-11ea-b69b-64f7b0477ed4_story.htm
75% of Older Adults with Dementia May Be On the Wrong Prescriptions. Certain prescription drugs carry special risks for people living with dementia and may not help their symptoms, but many doctors are prescribing them anyway. Learn more
The National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) federal Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services met last month to discuss emergency preparedness for people living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the proceedings here: