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 28, 2023

CA 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 29, 9:30 – 11, 835 Odum Road, Suite 101, Gardendale.  www.thedayplace.com or Angela at 205-285-9245.

“Communicating With Someone Who Is Living With Dementia”, free, Dementia 101 class with Renee Harmon, MD, May 2 at 10 am, Canterbury United Methodist Church.  Classes are held every first Tuesday of the month Contact: valerie.boyd@canterburyumc.org

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

AFA Webinar, “Empowering Your Loved One Through Dementia-Friendly Home Design”, May 11 at noon. Alzheimer’s Foundation of America | Care Connection Webinar: Empowering Your Loved One Through Dementia-Friendly Home Design (alzfdn.org)

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is launching 6 NEW Brain Health Academy courses starting with Obesity and Dementia- May 17, noon – 1 CT.  https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/brain-health-academy

Trivia Night at Cahaba Brewery, May 18, to benefit ACA’s Lindy Harrell Pre-Doctoral Scholars in Alzheimer’s research.  Join us for the fun!

Jefferson County Community Services Senior Service Division is offering the Virtual Dementia Tour, May 19, 9 – 2, 2116 Columbiana Road.  The Virtual Dementia Tour is a ground breaking evidence based method of building a greater understanding of dementia through the use of patented sensory tools.   Call Dedra Lewis to register for a time slot, 205-325-5567.

Alzheimer’s News:

The link between physical activity and brain health is not new, with many studies showing how exercise can boost function, from easing depression to staving off cognitive decline.  Now, scientists have shown in cell studies that the connection may be more direct, which opens the door to more targeted physical therapies for brain health and potential treatment of neurodegenerative conditions.  Scientists were able to demonstrate through mice muscle cells how their contraction caused hippocampal neurons to fire off larger and more frequent electrical signals. Within days, these stronger and healthier signals became more synchronized, mimicking neural organization in the brain.  Every time we exercise, our muscles contract and lengthen; if the contraction fires off boosted, stronger electrical signals to the cognition-crucial hippocampus, it could lead to exercise-based therapy for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.  Clear chemical connection between physical activity and brain health (newatlas.com)

The investigational drug donanemab yielded greater amyloid clearance and amyloid plaque reduction than aducanumab in early, symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) results of a head-to-head study show.  Nearly 40% of patients treated with donanemab had amyloid clearance at 6 months compared with less than 2% of those who received aducanumab, which was approved in 2021 amid a great deal of controversy.  Titration for donanemab progressed more quickly, with participants receiving a maximum dose twice as early as those on aducanumab, without any increase in rates of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) — the most common side effect of amyloid drugs.  Donanemab Bests Aducanumab in Head-to-Head AD Trial (medscape.com)

The evidence on modifiable risk factors for dementia is not yet sufficient to indicate on a clinical level how any individual can prevent dementia. However, a growing body of research, largely from epidemiological and observational studies, has identified certain modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia from a population-level perspective that can serve as the basis for public health action. Several reports have reviewed and summarized dementia risk-reduction research and reached the conclusion that cognitive decline may be slowed, and dementia may be delayed or prevented, through the implementation of interventions that address certain risk factors.  While reports have reached varying conclusions overall, there is consistent belief that diabetes, midlife hypertension, physical inactivity, and smoking increase the risk for cognitive decline and/or dementia. All but one of these reviews also included midlife obesity as a risk factor with sufficiently strong evidence. Promoting Healthy Aging to Reduce Risk of Dementia (asaging.org)

Everyone’s memory fades to some extent as we age, but not everyone will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Screening the most likely people to develop Alzheimer’s remains an ongoing challenge, as some people present only unambiguous symptoms once their disease is advanced.  A new study suggests that one early clue is found in people’s own self-perception of their memory skills. People who are more aware of their own declining memory capacity are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.  Unawareness of Memory Slips Could Indicate Alzheimer’s Risk (medscape.com)

Learn more about the Crisis Center’s Senior Talk Line.  Would you enjoy receiving calls from someone who cares about you? Would having someone to share your thoughts and feelings with be helpful?  Call Ana today:  205-328-8255.

Sleep disturbances are thought to increase the risk for AD by increasing the concentrations of Aβ and tau, potentially promoting amyloid plaque formation and the spreading of tau pathology.  An insomnia medication has been linked to lower levels of Azheimer’s disease (AD) pathology in humans.  Suvorexant (Balsomra, Merck) over a 2-night period was associated with a 10%-20% drop in amyloid-beta (Aβ) levels and a 10%-15% reduction in hyperphosphorylated tau in a group of cognitively healthy individuals.  Insomnia Med Tied to Lower Alzheimer’s Pathology (medscape.com)

Early menopause and delayed initiation of hormone therapy (HT) have been linked to an increase in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology in women, a new imaging study shows.  Investigators found elevated levels of tau protein in the brains of women who initiated HT more than 5 years after menopause onset, while those who started the therapy earlier had normal levels.  Tau levels were also higher in women who started menopause before age 45, either naturally or following surgery, but only in those who already had high levels of beta-amyloid.  Previous research has suggested the timing of menopause and HT initiation may be associated with AD. However, the current research is the first to suggest tau deposition may explain that link.  Early Menopause, Delayed HRT Tied to Alzheimer’s Pathology (medscape.com)

If you or your loved one has experienced hallucinations at some point before or after a dementia diagnosis, please take five minutes to share insights with Being Patient. They will publish responses to increase awareness about hallucinations.  SURVEY – Hallucinations in Dementia Patients (google.com)

Problems with a sense of smell may predict a higher risk for age-related health problems.  Smell dysfunction acts as an early indicator of cognitive decline as well as signs of frailty in the brain and unhealthy aging.  Researchers assessed olfactory sensitivity and olfactory identification, terms that denote the ability to detect an odor and the ability to detect and name an odor, respectively.  As with vision and hearing, the sense of smell weakens as one ages.

Impaired olfactory identification and sensitivity functions are associated with frailty, which is interesting because it shows that it’s not just the aging brain at work here. It may also be something peripheral, such as something involving the nose, that makes it possible to predict impending frailty and death.  An Older Person’s Sense of Smell Can Predict Health Issues (medscape.com)

May 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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