August webinars from Care Patrol. Contact Jay Jones for more info jjones@carepatrol.com:
- August 17 – Caregiver Stress
- August 24 – Dealing with a Dementia Diagnosis
M4A Webinar: “ Consumer Issues for Seniors and Caregivers, Tuesday, August 17, 10 – 11:30. Register here: Human Resource Options
UWAAA’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program webinar: Does my loved one need long-term care? What are my options? August 18th, 2021 at noon. To register:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1Q4CfawqR7yyGOcO8fgsNw
Webinar: Building and Maintaining Relationships After a Dementia Diagnosis: Dementia Care Partners and Social Isolation, Part of the National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center webinar series, sponsored by the Administration for Community Living, Tuesday, August 24, noon CT.
Central Alabama Aging Consortium and AFA are hosting a seminar, “Partners in Care”, Wednesday, August 25, 8:45 – 5:00 pm, Civic Center in Millbrook, AL. Free to attend. https://centralalabamaaging.org/pictraining/
Walk 2 Remember benefiting Caring Days Adult Day Care Center, Saturday, August 28, University Mall, Tuscaloosa, 9:30 – 11. www.caringdays.org or 205-752-6840.
UAB School of Medicine webinar: Alzheimer’s 101—the basics, the research, the pathway to caring for your loved one, Tuesday, August 31 from 6-7 pm. David Geldmacher, M.D., FACP, professor in the Department of Neurology and division director of Memory Disorders, will share insights on Alzheimer’s disease and the Aduhelm drug as an effective treatment. Erik Roberson, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neurology and the department’s division director of CNET, will discuss the history and research bolstering the evolving treatment options. Click here to register.
In-person and zoom Support Groups:
- ACA’s Coffee Talk with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, August 18, 11 – noon CT. Call (205) 871-7970 or mpiggott@alzca.org. Join us on zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86450491838
- CJFS CARES, Mondays at 3 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
- Pell City, (in person)-1st Tuesday of each month, 11:00 am, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Parish Hall, Cropwell. Contact Bit Thomaston, Ethomaston50@gmail.com
- West Alabama Area Agency on Aging, Caregiver Support Group, Tuesdays, contact Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@westal.org.
- CJFS CARES, Tuesdays, 7:00 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
- Leeds, (in person) 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm, St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, contact Bit Thomaston,ethomaston50@gmail.com
- United Way Area Agency on Aging of Jefferson County, 3rd Tuesday of each month 11:30-12:30, contact Valarie Lawson, vlawson@uwaaa.org
- Asbury United Methodist Church 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 1:00, contact Maggie Dunaway at mdunaway@asburyonline.org.
Alzheimer’s News:
In the absence of a cure for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, the most important interventions for brain health are preventive – those that help maintain our most marvelous, mysterious organ. Bret Stetka’s recent book, A History of the Human Brain, recounts the evolutionary tale of how our brain got here. He found, the same influences that shaped our brain evolution are the very measures that can preserve our cognitive function today. Being social and highly communicative. Exploring creative pursuits. Eating a varied, omnivorous diet low in processed foods. Being physically active. Human Evolution Offers Clues For Modern Brain Health : Shots – Health News : NPR
“For more than a century, people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers have been caught in a vortex of cultural and political forces that have delivered uneven, frustrating progress. The approval of Aduhelm and the controversies now following it are yet one more chapter in that story.” Read more from Jason Karlawish, co-director of the Penn Memory Center: We can’t drug our way out of despair over Alzheimer’s | Opinion (inquirer.com)
Immune cells, toxic protein tangles and brain waves are among the targets of future Alzheimer’s treatments. These approaches are noteworthy because they do not directly attack the sticky amyloid plaques in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. The plaques have been the focus of most Alzheimer’s drug development in the past 20 years. And the drug Aduhelm was given conditional approval by the Food and Drug Administration in June based primarily on the medication’s ability to remove amyloid from the brain. But many researchers believe amyloid drugs alone can’t stop Alzheimer’s. Future Alzheimer’s Treatments Look Beyond Amyloid For Ways To Protect The Brain : Shots – Health News : NPR
About 80% of people 65 and older have been fully vaccinated, leaving millions of seniors still at risk of covid, nationwide. It’s already known that older adults suffered disproportionately. As of Aug. 4, more than 480,000 people age 65 and older perished from covid — 79% of more than 606,000 deaths in the U.S. overall, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (This is likely an undercount because it relies on death certificate data that may not be up-to-date or accurately reflect the true toll of the virus.) New information about older adults’ vulnerabilities is useful as covid cases climb again and unvaccinated people remain at risk. Pandemic’s Toll on Seniors Extended Well Beyond Nursing Homes (medscape.com)
A colorful diet rich in flavonoids — and specifically flavones and anthocyanins — seems to be a good bet for promoting long-term brain health. Eating at least half a serving per day of foods rich in flavonoids — like strawberries, oranges, peppers, and apples — may help lower the risk of age-related cognitive decline, new research shows. Among the different types of flavonoids, flavones (found in some spices and yellow or orange fruits and vegetables) and anthocyanins (found in blueberries, blackberries, and cherries) seem to have most protective effect. Flavonoids Dietary ‘Powerhouses’ for Cognitive Decline Prevention (medscape.com)