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 18, 2023

Step Right Up!  Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama will host our Walking to Remember Team Pledge Kick Off, August 31, from 4:30 – 6.  Please join us if you would like to organize a team and participate in ACA’s Walk, November 4.  All of the money raised stays in Alabama to support Alabama families living with Alzheimer’s.  300 Office Park Drive, Suite 225.  205-871-7970

M4A is hosting a Memory Café, August 22, Oneonta Senior Center.  To register contact Chalane Mims atcmims@m4a.org or 205-670-5770.

Founders Place Volunteer Training: August 23, 9:30-noon at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church.  Founders Place is a community respite serving adults with mild to moderate dementia. It is a highly engaging social program that provides connection, purpose and meaning to participants, as well as volunteers. The social program meets Tues/Thur (10a-2p).  Volunteer commitment is flexible. Join the “friendship revolution”!  Call Susie Caffey (205.802.6218), send an email to foundersplace@saint-lukes.com or click here to register:https://forms.gle/f5V63XSqMEYceCdU6

“CULTIVATE”   Sept 6 – Oct 11, is a 6 week care and education series for people whose lives are affected by dementia (caregivers AND/OR people living with dementia).  Presenters Dr. Renee Harmon (physician and author) and Steve Sweatt (Director of Community Grief Support) will facilitate courses on caregiving for caregivers;   caring and capable volunteers will engage with those living with dementia in a light and lively concurrent social program. Scholarships available. For registration, cost and further information, call Susanna Whitsett (205.802.6218), send an email to foundersplace@saint-lukes.com or click here:https://forms.gle/c1aY9K3pudHPMfev7

Support Group Meetings:

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

Alzheimer’s News:

Check out all the great online events and activities from Positive Approach to Care:

Upcoming Events › Free › – Positive Approach to Care – Shop (teepasnow.com)

The legislature in Quebec, the second most populous of the 10 Canadian provinces, voted overwhelmingly in favor of expanding its program of assisted medical death and will become the first Canadian province to allow sick people to put in an advance request for help in dying before they become incapacitated.  People deemed admissible can request an assisted death up to 24 months in advance.  The measure will permit people suffering from Alzheimer’s and other serious diseases to apply for assistance in ending their lives while they are still deemed to be in control of their faculties.  The move could set up a clash with the federal government, which drew up the law on medical assistance in dying. Quebec was able to expand the program because while the federal government is responsible for the Criminal Code, provinces are largely in control of healthcare.  Canada’s assisted dying framework is also under fire from disability advocates who say it has become easier to access assisted death than it is to access resources or supports that would make life more bearable.  Quebec: Sick Patients Can Request Assisted Death in Advance (medscape.com)

Heart-healthy eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, are good for overall health and may help protect the brain. A Mediterranean diet includes relatively little red meat and emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, olive oil and other healthy fats. Try new recipes and involve the person with dementia. Need ideas on how to go healthy?  Try these resources:

Each year, NIH issues an annual progress report featuring highlights of NIH-funded Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research advances. The report provides a comprehensive overview of meaningful prevention, diagnostic, treatment, and care discoveries scientists have made toward addressing the enormous challenges of these devastating diseases.  Additionally, NIH annually submits to the President and then Congress a Professional Judgment Budget that estimates additional future funding needed to most effectively leverage promising scientific opportunities in dementia research. This estimate is often referred to as a “bypass budget” because it is presented without modification through the traditional federal budget process.  The progress report features a summary of the past 10 years of achievements made possible through NIH-funded and conducted research, though which scientists:

  • Advanced understanding of the risk factors, genetics, and mechanisms of disease in dementia
  • Diversified and de-risked the therapeutic pipeline for disease modifying drugs
  • Advanced drug repurposing and combination therapy development
  • Discovered tools to detect, diagnose, and monitor dementia
  • Advanced clinical research on lifestyle interventions
  • Increased understanding of how social and physical environmental factors affect dementia risk and disparities
  • Expanded research on dementia care and care partner supports.

NIH releases Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research progress report and fiscal year 2025 professional judgment budget | National Institute on Aging

Researchers have observed an association between elevated levels of amyloid-beta and tau in the brain and reduced levels of two neuroprotective bacteria in the digestive system, providing more evidence of a connection between gut health and brain health.  Our body systems are all interconnected. When one system is malfunctioning, it impacts other systems. When that dysfunction isn’t addressed, it can create a waterfall of consequences for the rest of the body.  Gaining a better understanding of the connection between the digestive system and long-term cognitive function may uncover novel therapeutic and risk-reduction approaches for Alzheimer’s and other dementias.  Reduction in Gut Bacteria Tied to Elevated AD Biomarkers (medscape.com)

Are you on Facebook? Alzheimer’s Activity Zone is a group for those caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. A place to find and share Alzheimer’s appropriate crafts and activities.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/AlzheimersActivityZone/

Roughly one in five people are born with at least one copy of a gene variant called APOE4 that makes them more prone to heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease in old age. That the variant is so common poses an evolutionary mystery: If it decreases our fitness, why hasn’t APOE4 been purged from the human population over time?  Now, a study of nearly 800 women in a traditional society in the Amazon finds that those with the disease-promoting variant had slightly more children. Such a fertility benefit may have allowed the gene to persist during human evolution despite its harmful effects for older people today.  Common Alzheimer’s disease gene may have helped our ancestors have more kids | Science | AAAS

Mealtimes can be challenging for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. However, creating a routine with familiar foods, a consistent time and setting, and pleasant conversation, are a few ways to make mealtimes easier.  The NIA offer six tips:

  • Serve meals in a consistent place, way, and time.
  • Offer foods they are familiar with and like.
  • Use mealtimes to talk about things you both enjoy.
  • Make the eating area quiet by turning off the TV and radio.
  • Cut food into small pieces and make sure the food is soft enough to eat.
  • Offer one food at a time and don’t rush the meal.

View this infographic for tips to simplify mealtimes for a person with Alzheimer’s.

Explore more myths and facts about Alzheimer’s disease from the National Institute of Health.

Explore more

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