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, August 15, 2025

The National Council of Dementia Minds is hosting a series of webinars.  Each session will feature powerful conversations led by individuals living with dementia and will focus on topics that matter most to them, their care partners, and professionals in the field. Webinars are every Tuesday in August from 1:30–2:30 pm CT.  Register Here:   Webinar

  • August 19: Activities Versus Engagement
  • August 26: Dining with Dementia

22nd Annual Alzheimer’s Professional & Family Caregiver Conference, hosted by AERS, August 19, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm CT, Eastern Hills Baptist Church, 3604 Pleasant Ridge Road, Montgomery, AL 36109.

This free, full-day conference will explore the ripple-down effect of dementia, highlighting how each stage impacts not only the person living with the disease, but also their caregivers and care teams. Attendees will gain practical strategies, tools, and best practices to support abilities, manage challenges, and adapt care approaches with dignity and collaboration throughout the journey.    Caregiver Conference

Caring Days Adult Day Care is hosting their 21st annual Walk to Remember, August 23, 9:30 – 11:30 am, University Mall, Tuscaloosa.  For additional information, please visit https://www.caringdays.org/ or call 205-752-6840.  This year’s theme is “Walk This Way” in memory of Vicki Kerr.

Slice Pizza is hosting a % of sales event to benefit ACA’s Lindy Harrell Pre-Doctoral Scholars in Alzheimer’s Research at UAB, August 26.  Vestavia location only.  3104 Timberlake Drive, 35243.

ACA’s Walk Kick Off is September 4th, 4:30 – 6:00 pm. Join us in Celebrating Happy Days!  This year’s Walking to Remember event is Saturday, November 8th and will feature a vintage car show.  Join us September 4 to learn more about being a part of this event which supports ACA’s services for Alabama families living with dementia.  Make a Pledge. Organize a team.  Get a free Team Captain t-shirt.  ACA Office: 300 Office Park Drive, Suite 225, Birmingham, 35223.  Contact Miller or Vance at (205)871-7970

Breaking Barriers: Enhancing Quality of Life in Dementia Care with Nicole Ruggiano, PhD, MSW, FGSA, conference, September 30, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, Jasper Civic Center.  Free, in-person training designed for caregivers, professionals, and community champions who support individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Topics include: Managing Resistant Behaviors; Enhancing Quality of Life; Compassionate Caregiving Strategies; Brain Health Insights; Practical Tools to Improve Care. Hosted by M4A Area Agency on Aging, 4All Foundation, the Alabama Securities Commissioner, the PANDA Project, and Alabama’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman.  For more information, contact Monica Houston at 205-659-4002.

Support Group Meetings:

  • ACA’s support group with Miller & Vance, no meeting August 19.  Next meeting: Tuesday, August 26, 11:00 – noon CT. There Call (205) 871-7970 ormpiggott@alzca.org.  Join us on zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85247427423
  • CJFS CARES,  Mondays at 3 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
  • St Lukes Episcopal Church on Tuesdays at 10:15. Contact Betsy Smith (smith35213@gmail.com) or Janis Cole (janiscarole3@aol.com).
  • West Alabama Area Agency on Aging, Caregiver Support Group, Tuesdays, contact Robin Montgomery, robin.montgomery@westal.org.
  • M4A’s Caregiver Support Group, 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, 10 – 11:30 am, Montevallo.  Contact Robyn James, rjames@m4a.org.
  • The Oaks on Parkwood, 4th Tuesday’s, 10:00 am, Contact:  Karen Glover, karenrglover@gmail.com.
  • CJFS CARES,  Tuesdays, 7:00 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
  • United Way Area Agency on Aging of Jefferson County, 3rd Tuesday of each month 11:30-12:30, contact Valarie Lawson, vlawson@uwaaa.org
  • Eastaboga, 2nd Tuesday, 6:00 pm. Contact Julie Slagle jslagle@lakesidehospice.org
  • Trussville, 3rd Tuesday, 6:00 pm. Contact Julie Slagle jslagle@lakesidehospice.org
  • Covenant Presbyterian Church, first Wednesday of the month, 10 am, church parlor,  Contact Kristian Hatley at Khatley@covpress.com.
  • M4A virtual support group, 3rd Wednesdays 2:00 – 3:00 pm.  Contact Chalane Mims, cmims@m4a.org.
  • Asbury United Methodist Church 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 1:00, contact Maggie Dunaway at mdunaway@asburyonline.org.
  • AFTD support group,  second Tuesday of the month.  Amber Guy: 251-281-5344.
  • Holy Apostles Church, Hoover,  2nd and 4th Thursdays 10:30-noon, contact Michele Elrod:  Michelerelrod@att.net.
  • St. Mark’s UMC, Vestavia Hills, Fridays at 1 pm.  Contact Donna Baird:  (205)717-9880.

Alzheimer’s News:

National Relaxation Day is observed annually on August 15th. It was founded in 1985 to promote the importance of relaxation and stress management. This day encourages individuals to take a break from their busy routines and prioritize their mental and physical well-being.  This National Relaxation Day, we honor you. Whether you’re a caregiver or living with memory loss, you deserve moments of calm. Even small steps toward relaxation can lead to big shifts in how we feel, connect, and care.  In honor of National Relaxation Day, here’s how to pause, breathe, and recharge with compassion.  Learn tips for relaxation from Alzheimer’s Orange County:  https://www.alzoc.org/4-relaxation-tips-for-caregivers-and-families-affected-by-alzheimers/

August is National Wellness Month!  Each person’s “healthiest self” is different. We have different bodies, minds, living situations, and people influencing our lives. Each area can impact your overall health. This means we each have a unique set of health needs. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has prepared wellness toolkits to find ways to improve your well-being regardless of age. Check out the toolkits.

Your Healthiest Self: Wellness Toolkits | National Institutes of Health (NIH)

More than 90% of individuals with dementia also have hearing loss, and between 61% and 97% of those have neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), the investigators on a new study found.  Hearing aid use was linked to fewer NPS in patients with dementia, such as apathy and irritability, than nonuse, new research showed.  The use of hearing aids in individuals with both dementia and hearing loss was linked to significantly fewer and less severe NPS than nonuse.  Hearing aid use may represent an underutilized, nonpharmacological intervention to address NPS.  Fewer Dementia Neuropsychiatric Symptoms With Hearing Aids

Could Alzheimer’s disease (AD) be more accurately defined as diabetes type 3? The idea that altered glucose metabolism in the central nervous system (CNS) could be at the core of AD has taken hold within the past decade. Labeling AD as type 3 diabetes would not only reflect a new insight into pathophysiology but it would also open up potential new treatment strategies. There is already a well-established link between AD and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes-induced metabolic changes lead to oxidative damage and inflammation, resulting in protein damage and neuronal cell death in the CNS — ultimately contributing to AD. Additionally, there may be a common genetic link that predisposes some patients to develop both type 2 diabetes and AD. Based on the existing evidence, we are not quite ready to switch from AD to type 3 diabetes. Many patients with AD have never been diagnosed with diabetes, even at late stages of the neurodegenerative disease. The value of the type 3 diabetes concept is that it opens up new avenues of research and treatment. Should We Think of Alzheimer’s Disease as Type 3 Diabetes?

The human brain shrinks as it ages, affecting the ability to remember — it’s part of life. Yet there are a lucky few, called “SuperAgers,” who possess a brain that fights back.  Researchers at Northwestern’s SuperAging Program are studying 113 SuperAgers. One key trait of SuperAgers is that they seem to be highly social people. They value connection and are often active in their communities. This is interesting because we know isolation is a risk factor for developing dementia, and so staying socially active is a known protective feature.  Another common thread in all SuperAgers is a sense of autonomy, freedom and independence. They’re making decisions and living their lives the way that they want to live.  But as far as healthy behaviors, SuperAgers run the gamut. The study has SuperAgers with heart disease, diabetes, who aren’t physically active, who don’t eat any better than their similar age peers.  There is one SuperAger who drinks four beers every night.  The researchers are also studying difference on a cellular level.  The area of the brain that is responsible for attention, motivation, and cognitive engagement — known as the cingulate cortex — is thicker in SuperAgers, even compared with those of people in their 50s and 60s.  In the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain, we found SuperAgers have three times fewer tau tangles when compared to their “normal” peers. Abnormal formations of tau proteins are one of the key signs of Alzheimer’s. In Alzheimer’s disease, tau also targets the neurons of the primary neurons of the cholinergic system — which is responsible for sustaining our attention in daily life. But that doesn’t happen in the brain of a SuperAger. Therefore, the cholinergic system appears to be stronger, and likely more plastic and flexible.  https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/07/health/superager-brain-research-wellness

Naturalistic gaze patterns appear to be a simple, noninvasive, and reliable indicator of cognitive decline, new research suggested.  Investigators found that gaze patterns during image viewing mirrored memory performance and distinguished healthy adults from those at risk for, or with, cognitive impairment.  The researchers found that the healthy young adult group encoded unique image features with each image presentation. In contrast, participants with decreased memory and/or hippocampal/medial temporal function tended to focus on the same features each time they saw the same image. These results confirm that memory decline is associated with reduced visual exploration, less effective updating of encoded representations over repeated exposures, and lower differentiation of the images.  This means that assessment of eye movements during natural viewing of images has the potential to be developed into an important tool for detecting memory decline in clinical settings.  Simple, Noninvasive Eye Tracking May Flag Cognitive Decline

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may augment standard language therapy to help slow the progression of primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a neurodegenerative disorder that erodes communication.  PPA is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome marked by progressive speech and/or language impairment. Most cases stem from frontotemporal degeneration or Alzheimer’s disease. There are currently no effective drug treatments, although speech-language therapy has proven to be helpful.  TMS can induce changes in cortical excitability, potentially promoting the reorganization of language networks, and has shown promise as adjunctive treatment for post-stroke aphasia.  Brain Stimulation Promising for Progressive Aphasia

In a major new finding, researchers at Harvard Medical School say they’ve found a key that may unlock many of the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease and brain aging — the humble metal lithium.  Lithium is best known to medicine as a mood stabilizer given to people who have bipolar disorder and depression. Now, for the first time, researchers have shown that lithium is naturally present in the body in tiny amounts and that cells require it to function normally — much like vitamin C or iron. It also appears to play a critical role in maintaining brain health.  Researchers at Harvard and Rush universities found that depleting lithium in the diet of normal mice caused their brains to develop inflammation and changes associated with accelerated aging.  Maintaining normal lithium levels in mice as they aged, however, protected them from brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s. If further research supports the findings, it could open the door to new treatments and diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s. https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/06/health/lithium-alzheimers-brain-study

Healthcare professionals can learn the latest on helping their patients understand and reduce their risk of dementia with a new series of courses from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. The Brain Health Academy (BHA) registration is now open for the first of six new courses that help healthcare professionals put into practice the growing body of evidence for dementia risk reduction. The program is designed to equip providers with knowledge and tools to promote brain-healthy behaviors using evidence-based strategies in their clinical practice. These newly released courses are available for $15 each or as a discounted package of all six for just $75 Explore the full course catalog and register today:  https://learn.usagainstalzheimers.org/external/catalogue?tenancyId=1

Support for young onset/early-stage brain change.  “Forward Together” is a 10-week support series offered by Founders Place Community Respite. Forward Together is designed to foster meaningful personal connections among individuals living with a dementia diagnosis.  Structured around a manualized 10-week format, the program provides a supportive environment that encourages open group discussion, shared learning, and moments of levity. The goal is to cultivate a sense of community that extends beyond the series and evolves into ongoing support and access to valuable resources.  It is designed for participation by adults who are highly independent in most areas of life (may be working or volunteering, driving, and managing day-to-day life with minimal assistance). Eligibility will be confirmed in a phone call with one of the facilitators. Core Eligibility Criteria includes:

  1. If known, minimum score of 20 on Mini Mental Exam
  2. Diagnosis of early stage dementia with mild symptoms
  3. Awareness of diagnosis
  4. Desire to discuss symptoms and dementia-related experiences in a group setting
  5. Willing and able to listen to the experiences of others

The series will meet weekly on Wednesdays (September 3-November 5) 10:00-11:30a.m. at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham.  To learn more, please contact Ellie Johnson at Founders Place Respite:  foundersplace@saint-lukes.com or 205.802.6217

UAB Arts in Medicine is hosting a FREE Music for Memory group at The Dance Foundation in Homewood, every Wednesday at 10 a.m. The group is designed for individuals living with memory loss and their caregivers, and it’s led by a board-certified music therapist. Each session focuses on sparking meaningful memories through familiar songs; encouraging connection and communication between caregivers and loved ones; educing stress and anxiety in a supportive, creative environment.  There’s no formal registration process—participants are welcome to simply come by and join the fun. 1715 27th Court South, 35209.

Check out the newly revised Alabama Dementia Resource Guide created by the Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS) and Dementia Friendly Alabama, with support from the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).  Access the Dementia Resource Guide on the Dementia Friendly Alabama website under the Resources tab at: www.dementiafriendlyal.org.

The Alabama Department of Public Health is conducting a critical statewide needs assessment that will directly influence how they train healthcare professionals, long-term care staff, and social service providers across our state. This is your opportunity to ensure the real challenges you see every day are addressed in our workforce development efforts.  Your experience and insights will help identify gaps in training and shape solutions that could improve care for thousands of Alabama families. The findings will guide policy decisions and funding priorities that affect dementia care statewide.  Consider joining a 45-60 minute focus group via Zoom to share your expertise on what training our workforce truly needs. Together, we can help ensure Alabama’s healthcare and social service providers are better equipped to serve individuals with dementia and their families with the dignity and expertise they deserve.  Email Nicole Ruggiano (nruggiano@ua.edu) to express your interest. Or go to: Focus group

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