AFA Webinar Dementia and Firearms: Navigating a Difficult Situation Safely, August 8, noon – 1 pm CT. https://alzfdn.org/event/care-connection-webinar-firearm-safety-in-dementia/
Contenu is hosting a retreat that focuses on health and wellness activities for the person with a serious illness and their caregiver, August 24, New Water Farms, Dadeville, 8 am – 4:30 pm. This retreat will focus on health and wellness activities for the person with a serious illness, and their caregivers, with the aim of giving attendees a space to refresh, recharge, and relax. Com. e and enjoy a day of health and wellness. Activities will include sessions like movement and mindfulness, fruit farming, and taking a boat ride. The cost is $50. Contenu Retreat
Support Group Meetings:
- ACA’s support group with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, August 6, 11 – noon CT. Call (205) 871-7970 or mpiggott@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 Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@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
- Leeds, 1st Tuesday, 6:30 pm. Contact Julie Slagle jslagle@lakesidehospice.org
- Pell City, 2nd Tuesday, 2:30 pm. Contact Julie Slagle, jslagle@lakesidehospice.org
- M4A virtual support group, 3rd Wednesday’s 2:00 – 3:00 pm. Contact Chalane Mims, cmims@m4a.org.
- Trinity United Methodist Church, every Thursday at 2:30 pm, contact Ernie at 205-370-0032 or email ewillis@trinitybirmimgham.com.
- 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.
- Discovery United Methodist Church, Hoover, the first and third Thursday of each month. Peggy Harrison: pharrison@discoveryumc.org.
- St. Mark’s UMC, Vestavia Hills, Fridays at 1 pm. Contact Donna Baird: (205)717-9880.
August Webinars from Alabama Lifespan Respite: https://alabamarespite.org/events2/
Alzheimer’s News:
Nearly half of dementia cases worldwide could theoretically be prevented or delayed by eliminating 14 modifiable risk factors during an individual’s lifetime, a report from the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care. The report adds two new modifiable risk factors for dementia — high cholesterol and vision loss — to the 12 risk factors identified in the 2020 Lancet Commission report, which were linked to about 40% of all dementia cases. The original Lancet Commission report, published in 2017, identified nine modifiable risk factors that were estimated to be responsible for one third of dementia cases. The 12 risk factors cited in the 2020 report are lower levels of education, hearing loss, hypertension, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury (TBI), air pollution, and social isolation. According to the authors of the current report, there is “new compelling evidence” that untreated vision loss and elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are also risk factors for dementia. These two added risk factors are associated with 9% of all dementia cases — with an estimated 7% of cases due to high LDL cholesterol from about age 40 years, and 2% of cases due to untreated vision loss in later life. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/almost-50-global-dementia-cases-may-be-preventable-2024a1000e1w?ecd=wnl_dne7_240802_MSCPEDIT_etid6716288&uac=407526BK&impID=6716288
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST® is an online community of people invested in brain health. They are people living with Alzheimer’s Disease, family caregivers & healthy individuals interested in maximizing their cognitive health. A-List turns your experience into data, to inform government, policy, the medical and research industries, and greater society about what matters most to the Alzheimer’s Community. The latest survey digs into your knowledge about head injuries. This is not a test and there are no wrong answers. By taking the survey, your personal choices become valuable data, as we seek to further understand factors affecting brain health and cognition. Join A-List and take the survey:https://alist4research.org/sign-up.
A class of diabetes drugs called GLP-1 agonists, which have been proven to also help people lose weight and reduce the risk of heart attacks or stroke, have now been found to possibly protect against Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia too. GLP-1 agonists first hit the market in 2005 and work by mimicking the body’s GLP-1 hormone which controls appetite and increases the release of insulin. Used to help manage weight loss, brand name drugs from this category, including Wegovy, Ozempic, Saxenda, and Mounjaro have been prescribed to one in eight Americans. Studies looking at the health records of people taking these drugs suggest they may also help protect the brain. https://www.beingpatient.com/aaic-diabetes-cognitive-decline-liraglutide/?utm_source=Being+Patient+Newsletter&utm_campaign=0c7b64b4a9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_06_03_59_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_95b92454c1-0c7b64b4a9-109213217
Apathy is a complex psychiatric symptom that reflects a lack of interest, motivation, or enjoyment of things that are normally pleasurable. Rates of apathy are high in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Even among those with subjective cognitive decline, about 40% have symptoms of apathy. And these rates only increase as we move forward to cognitive impairment and dementia syndrome. Higher amyloid levels in certain brain regions of older adults with no cognitive or psychiatric symptoms at baseline are associated with greater informant-rated but not self-rated apathy. Understanding the biologic underpinnings of apathy could help identify those who might benefit from anti-amyloid therapy. Reducing apathy improves quality of life not only for patients but also their caregivers. Often, apathy is one of those symptoms that bothers the caregivers more than it bothers the patient themselves. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/apathy-linked-amyloid-deposition-2024a1000e1h?ecd=wnl_dne5_240802_MSCPEDIT_etid6716288&uac=407526BK&impID=6716288
On August 1, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill increasing our nation’s investment in Alzheimer’s research by $275 million for fiscal year 2025. The appropriations bill now advances to the full Senate for a vote. In late July, the Senate passed two key bills aimed at reinforcing Alzheimer’s as a national priority and increasing accountability in federal funding. Reauthorization of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) aims to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s and related dementias by 2035 while expanding support for people living with the disease and their families, and increasing public awareness. The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act would enhance accountability and transparency in federal funding for Alzheimer’s by requiring the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to submit an annual budget and estimated personnel needed to do the work associated with NAPA. https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/press/us-senate-passes-two-major-bills-combat-alzheimers
World Brain Day (July 22, 2024) was used to highlight that too much sugar can harm the brain. The current results of the Global Burden of Diseases study shows that stroke and dementia are among the top 10 causes of death. A healthy, active lifestyle with sufficient exercise and sleep, along with the avoidance of harmful substances like alcohol, nicotine, or excessive sugar, protects the brain. Of course, the dose makes the poison as the brain, being the body’s powerhouse, needs glucose to function. High blood sugar levels damage brain blood vessels and promote deposits on the vessel walls, thus reducing blood flow and nutrient supply to brain cells. This process can cause various limitations, as well as vascular dementia. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/sugar-may-drive-dementia-german-medical-societies-warn-2024a1000drv?ecd=wnl_dne3_240729_MSCPEDIT_etid6705424&uac=407526BK&impID=6705424
Higher intake of processed red meat, including bacon, hot dogs, and sausages, is associated with an elevated dementia risk, preliminary research shows. Study participants who consumed 0.25 or more servings of processed meat per day, or roughly two servings per week, had a 15% higher risk for dementia compared with those who consumed less than 0.10 serving per day, which is about three servings per month. The study also showed that replacing processed red meat with nuts and legumes could potentially lower this increased risk. Previous studies have shown an inconsistent association between red meat intake and cognitive health. Previous studies have shown an inconsistent association between red meat intake and cognitive health. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/red-meat-tied-increased-dementia-risk-2024a1000e0g?ecd=wnl_dne3_240802_MSCPEDIT_etid6716288&uac=407526BK&impID=6716288
Breathing in wildfire smoke isn’t just bad for the lungs. Researchers have found it’s also associated with a higher risk of dementia. In addition to warmer, drier, more extreme weather, climate change is also causing more active wildfire seasons, and that means more exposure to wildfire smoke. Now, researchers have found that for every extra microgram per cubic meter of smoke, there’s a 21-percent higher risk of developing dementia. Many of the health risks associated with wildfire smoke come from breathing in tiny toxic particles smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). In previous studies, researchers linked exposure to these particles to the development of asthma or respiratory problems, impaired thinking and executive function, and an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. But these studies didn’t always differentiate the effects of wildfire smoke pollution from other forms of pollution. The researchers found that every one microgram per cubic meter increase of wildfire PM2.5 corresponded to a 21 percent higher risk of developing dementia. For non-wildfire smoke PM2.5, every three microgram per cubic meter increase of pollution was associated with a three percent higher risk of developing dementia. https://www.beingpatient.com/aaic-wildfire-smoke-dementia-risk/?utm_source=Being+Patient+Newsletter&utm_campaign=0c7b64b4a9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_06_03_59_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_95b92454c1-0c7b64b4a9-109213217
Amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau protein blood biomarkers are highly accurate in identifying Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in patients with cognitive symptoms attending primary and secondary care clinics, new research showed. Accurate early diagnosis of AD is important because two monoclonal antibodies donanemab (Kisunla) and lecanemab (Leqembi) are now approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for early-stage AD. However, the use of these agents requires amyloid confirmation. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/blood-biomarkers-highly-accurate-diagnosing-alzheimers-2024a1000dw6?ecd=wnl_edit_tpal_etid6709468&uac=407526BK&impID=6709468
Receiving a newer recombinant version of a shingles vaccine is associated with a significant delay in dementia diagnosis in older adults, a new study suggests. The study builds on previous observations of a reduction in dementia risk with the older live shingles vaccine and reports a delay in dementia diagnosis of 164 days with the newer recombinant version compared to the live vaccine. Given the prevalence of dementia, a delay of 164 days in diagnosis would not be a trivial effect at the public health level. However, the new study had not proven that the shingles vaccine reduced dementia risk. The study is an observational study, and as such it cannot prove a definite causal effect. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/newer-shingles-vaccine-linked-delayed-dementia-diagnosis-2024a1000dqy?ecd=wnl_dne1_240729_MSCPEDIT_etid6705424&uac=407526BK&impID=6705424
Vestavia Hills Methodist Church is set to open Restore, a new respite ministry, in August. The program will be open on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 10 – 2 for $40. Participants must be able to eat, toilet and ambulate independently. There are also opportunities for volunteers to support this ministry. Contact Nancy Mosely at 205-769-0153 or nmosley@vhnc.org. Here’s the list of respite programs and adult day care centers: https://alzca.org/adult-day-care-centers/