Free memory screening, August 22, Christian Valley Missionary Baptist Church, 9 – noon. The screening takes 15 minutes. The result is not a diagnosis but may suggest further follow up is needed. Call Drucilla Royal at 205-484-6790.
Walk to Remember, a benefit for Caring Days Day Care for adults with memory disorders, August 24, 9:30 – 11:30, inside University Mall, Tuscaloosa. The Walk honors the memory of Vicki Kerr, Caring Days Founder and Executive Director. Call 205-752-6840.
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
The Virtual Dementia Tour will be offered by Cahaba Ridge by the Community Services Department of Senior Services, August 29, 1:30 – 3:30, 3090 Healthy Way. Call 205-397-3603.
Support Group Meetings:
- ACA’s support group with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, August 13, 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:
Dr. Brad Dickerson is a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, and director of the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. This article offers guidance about giving amyloid plaque–lowering monoclonal antibodies to people with Alzheimer’s disease. He has been working with the recently approved medication lecanemab. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/antiamyloid-treatment-alzheimers-practical-tips-2024a1000dh8?ecd=wnl_dne7_240808_MSCPEDIT_etid6731448&uac=407526BK&impID=6731448
Check out James Black’s new video. A researcher in the UAB Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Black has created a unique way to support Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama. He recently attended the Southeast Game Exchange, starting with $0, he traded his way into raising nearly $1000 for Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama. https://youtu.be/HQKLUgYXH5s?si=4DuZFa-yDwXo05-B.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) released its annual Alzheimer’s and related dementias research progress report, August 5, which summarizes the achievements of the past year made possible through NIH research. The federal government’s growing investment in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research continues to empower discoveries of innovative diagnostics and risk reduction and treatment strategies. NIH-funded investigators developed commercially available blood tests to detect amyloid and tau, which are hallmarks of the disease, and the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved biomarker diagnostic tool. These evidence-based resources help clinicians and scientists diagnose Alzheimer’s and evaluate interventions. NIH funding also helped scientists identify new genetic, behavioral, environmental, lifestyle, and protective factors for dementia, and led to enhanced data sharing, interdisciplinary collaborations, and resources to support a diverse scientific workforce. https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/blog/2024/08/nih-dementia-research-advances-and-achievements-read-fy26-professional?utm_source=NIA+Main&utm_campaign=0dcb1368a8-blog-ADPJBPR-8-7-24&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-8180ce9847-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
Alabama sees surge in elder financial abuse. Watch ABC33/40 coverage:
People who carry extra fat around their bellies or in their arms may be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than their peers who don’t tend to carry excess fat in these areas, according to a new report. Those with greater muscle strength, on the other hand, may be at lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the study found. For the study, researchers looked at 412,691 men and women, monitoring them over an average of nine years. During that time, 8,224 had developed a degenerative brain disorder, primarily Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia as well as Parkinson’s disease. The researchers considered various health and lifestyle factors that could raise the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, including high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking or heavy alcohol use. After adjusting for these factors, they calculated that adults with high levels of belly fat at the start of the study were 13 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s or other degenerative brain disorders than those with low levels of belly fat. People with high levels of arm fat were 18 percent more likely to develop these diseases than those with low levels of arm fat. The researchers also considered muscle strength, as measured by grip strength. They found that those with higher levels of muscle strength were 26 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders than those with low levels of strength. As with all observational studies, it is possible that belly fat is not a cause of dementia but a sign of an unhealthy lifestyle or some other metabolic illness. https://www.alzinfo.org/articles/diagnosis/what-your-body-type-might-say-about-your-alzheimers-risk/
Living near green spaces may be good for the brain. A new study found that exposure to parks and trees in midlife slowed declines in thinking and memory skills. Brain benefits were especially pronounced in people who lived in poorer neighborhoods and in those who carried APOE-E4, a common gene variant that increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. https://www.alzinfo.org/articles/prevention/the-power-of-greenery/
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/