Alzheimer's of Central Alabama

Serving people with Alzheimer’s, caregivers and professionals in central Alabama through education, caregiver services and research grants.

ACA’s Weekly Email April 14, 2023

ACA is bringing the Garden Art Party back, May 6, at the Fennec, Birmingham!  Live & silent auction to benefit ACA’s service programs for low- income families living with Alzheimer’s. https://alzca.org/gap/

The Day Place Open House, April 15 and 29, 9:30 – 11, 835 Odum Road, Suite 101, Gardendale. www.thedayplace.com or Angela at 205-285-9245.

Free, confidential memory screening, Titusville Senior Center, Monday, April 17, 9 – noon.  Contact Ella Davis 205-566-1695.  Each memory screening takes approximately 15 minutes and while the result is not a diagnosis, it can suggest if someone should see a physician for a full evaluation.

Discovery United Methodist Church is offering a series, Aged to Perfection, Tuesday evenings, through May 2, at 6:30.  ACA Executive Director, Miller Piggott, will speak on Understanding Dementia and Care for the Caregiver, April 18.  5487 Stadium Trace Parkway, Hoover.  www.discoveryumc.org.

Understanding Dementia, with ACA Executive Director, Miller Piggott, First United Methodist Church, Pell City, April 20, noon.

M4A Long Term Care Planning Conference, April 26, 9 – 3, Rolling Hills Conference Center, Calera. https://www.humanresourceoptions.com/upcomingseminars

AFTD’s Education Conference is May 5. You can livestream for free.  Personal Information – AFTD 2023 Education Conference (cvent.com)

Alzheimer’s News:

The U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) is funding a 6-year, up to $300 million project to build a massive Alzheimer’s research database that can track the health of Americans for decades and enable researchers to gain new insights.  The NIA, part of the government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims to build a data platform capable of housing long-term health information on 70% to 90% of the U.S. population.  The platform will draw on data from medical records, insurance claims, pharmacies, mobile devices, sensors and various government agencies.  Tracking patients before and after they develop Alzheimer’s symptoms is seen as integral to making advances against the disease, which can start some 20 years before memory issues develop.  US to Build $300 Million Database to Fuel Alzheimer’s Research (medscape.com)

Neurologist Andrew Budson and neuroscientist Elizabeth Kensinger not only explain how memory works but also share science-based tips on how to keep it sharp as we age in their new book, “Why We Forget and How to Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory.” Read The Harvard Gazette’s interview about the neuroscience of memory and tips for improving our recall:  Why we remember — and forget. And what we can do about it – Harvard Gazette

Women with better indicators of cardiovascular health at midlife saw reduced risk of later dementia, according to results of a new study of 13,720 women whose mean age was 54 when they enrolled in the Harvard-based Women’s Health Study.  Each of the seven known risk factors – being active, eating better, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, maintaining a healthy blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, and having low blood sugar – was associated with a 6% reduced risk of dementia. So, women who work to address all seven risk factors can reduce their risk of developing dementia by 42%: a huge amount.  Cardiovascular Measures Linked to Reduced Dementia Risk in Women (medscape.com) 

Medicare beneficiaries living in the Mississippi–Ohio River valley had a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, compared with other regions of the United States.  This study revealed Parkinson’s disease hot spots in the Mississippi–Ohio River valley, a region that has some of the highest levels of air pollution in the nation.  Evidence is mounting that air pollution may be an important causal factor in Parkinson’s and especially Alzheimer’s disease. This study, along with others, suggest that some of the important environmental toxicants tied to brain disease may be inhaled.  The nose may be the front door to the brain.  Mississippi–Ohio River Valley Linked to Higher Risk of Parkinson’s (medscape.com)

In an enormous leap forward in the understanding of Parkinson’s disease (PD), researchers have discovered a new tool that can reveal a key pathology of the disease: abnormal alpha-synuclein — known as the “Parkinson’s protein” — in brain and body cells. The breakthrough opens a new chapter for research, with the promise of a future where every person living with Parkinson’s can expect improved care and treatments — and newly diagnosed individuals may never advance to full-blown symptoms. The tool, called the α-synuclein seeding amplification assay (αSyn-SAA), can detect pathology in spinal fluid not only of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but also in individuals who have not yet been diagnosed or shown clinical symptoms of the disease, but are at a high risk of developing it.  Breaking News: Parkinson’s Disease Biomarker Found | Parkinson’s Disease (michaeljfox.org)

If you or someone you know is experiencing “brain fog” after COVID-19, scientists now have a possible explanation — and it might not bring much comfort.  Researchers in Germany found that part of the virus, the spike protein, remains in the brain long after the virus clears out.  These investigators discovered the spike protein from the virus in brain tissue of animals and people after death. The finding suggests these virus fragments build up, stick around, and trigger inflammation that causes long COVID symptoms.  About 15% of COVID patients continue to have long-term effects of the infection despite their recovery.  Reported neurological problems include brain fog, brain tissue loss, a decline in thinking abilities, and problems with memory.  Had COVID? Part of the Virus May Stick Around in Your Brain (medscape.com)

Take the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST survey and add your insights to advance research on the experience of living with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, caring for a loved one, and brain health.  This month’s survey is on weight and diabetes.  What Matters Most: Weight and Diabetes Survey (surveymonkey.com)

The NIA offers tips for Getting Started with Long-Distance Caregiving | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov).

An important end-of-life consideration for seniors is whether or not they would want to have CPR if their heart stops beating or if they stop breathing.  The CPR shown on TV is quick, painless, and almost always works.  In real life, the CPR process is brutal and survival rates are low. Before making a choice about CPR, it’s essential to know the risks, benefits, and  chance of recovery.  Research suggests that only 10-20% of all people who get CPR will survive and recover enough to leave the hospital.  For chronically ill elderly patients, one study found a less than 5% chance of surviving long enough to leave the hospital after receiving CPR.  The Reality of CPR for Seniors: Get the Facts – DailyCaring

Disordered sleep is associated with a significantly increased risk for stroke, new research shows.  Results of a large international study show stroke risk was more than three times higher in those who slept too little, more than twice as high in those who sleep too much, and two to three times higher in those with symptoms of severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  The study also showed the greater the number of sleep disorder symptoms, the greater the stroke risk. The 11% of study participants with five or more symptoms of disordered sleep had a fivefold increased risk for stroke.  Disordered Sleep Tied to a Marked Increase in Stroke Risk (medscape.com)

Phototherapy is a safe, effective, noninvasive, and inexpensive way of boosting cognition for patients with dementia, new research suggests. It may be “one of the most promising interventions for improving core symptoms” of the disease.  A new meta-analysis shows that patients with dementia who received phototherapy experienced significant cognitive improvement, compared to those who received usual treatment. However, there were no differences between study groups in terms of improved depression, agitation, or sleep problems.  Phototherapy, which utilizes full-spectrum bright light (usually >600 lux) or wavelength-specific light (eg, blue-enriched or blue-green), is a “promising non-pharmacological therapy” that is noninvasive, inexpensive, and safe.  Phototherapy a Safe, Effective New Option for Dementia? (medscape.com)

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month!  Parkinson’s Disease: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)

April Webinars from Alabama Lifespan Respite: https://alabamarespite.org/events2/

Mother’s Day is May 14th!  50+ Mother’s Day Gifts She’ll Love – DailyCaring

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