AFA is offering a telephone-based support group for people who are newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, Tuesdays, starting February 21, 2:30 – 3:30 pm CT. Contact Linda Mockler, LMSW, M.Ed, lmockler@alzfdn.org, 866-232-8484
Free, confidential memory screening, February 22, 9 – noon, Five Point West Regional Branch Library. Offered by the Jefferson County Community Services Senior Services Division. Call Monica Cotrell, 205-226-4016
Founder Place Lunch & Learn: Compassionate Communication with Dr. Renee Harmon, March 21, 10:30 – 1:30. Presented byFounders Place, a respite ministry at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, in collaboration with Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama and Mountain Brook Baptist Church. Dr. Renée Brown Harmon, author of Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s: Principles of Caregiving That Kept Me Upright, will help us deepen our connections with our loved ones who are living with f Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Mountain Brook Baptist Church, 3631 Montevallo Road, Birmingham. Cost: $20. To register: https://saintlukes.shelbynextchms.com/…/1b73fc32-8fba… or call 704.779.2579
- ACA’s support group with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, February 14, 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 Betsy Smith, Smith35213@gmail.com
- West Alabama Area Agency on Aging, Caregiver Support Group, Tuesdays, contact Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@westal.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
- Pell City, Tuesday’s 2 – 3 and 6:30 – 7:30. Lakeside Hospice, Julie Slagle jslagle@lakesidehospice.org
- M4A, 2nd Thursday’s, noon – 1 pm. Contact Crystal Whitehead, cwhitehead@m4a.org
- M4A, 3rd Wednesday’s 2:00 – 3:00 pm. Contact Crystal Whitehead, cwhitehead@m4a.org
- Asbury United Methodist Church 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 1:00, contact Maggie Dunaway at mdunaway@asburyonline.org.
Alzheimer’s News:
Happy Valentine’s Day! DailyCaring offers fun Valentine’s Day ideas including 6 categories of activity suggestions and 4 thoughtful gift ideas. 10 Fantastic Valentine’s Day Ideas for Seniors: Activities and Gifts – DailyCaring
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Encourages Families to Follow the Four Rs this Valentine’s Day, February 14th: Reminisce, Reconnect, Relate and Reaffirm. https://alzfdn.org/dementia-friendly-valentines-day/
Learn More about health disparities, race, and Alzheimer’s during Black History Month. Addressing inequities in brain health is vital for families, communities and the nation. By 2030, nearly 40 percent of all Americans living with Alzheimer’s will be Black or Latino. Black Americans are twice as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to develop Alzheimer’s; Latinos are 1.5 times as likely. It’s time to make brain health equity a priority. https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/health-disparities-race-and-alzheimers
Can’t find your keys? Misplaced your glasses? No clue where you parked your car? We’ve all heard the standard-issue advice: Picture when you had the object last. Despite this common experience, new research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reveals that our ability to recall where and when we last saw something ― our spatial and temporal memory – is surprisingly good. We tend to notice when this fails ― ‘where are my keys?’ ― but on a normal day, most of us are successfully tapping a massive memory on a regular basis. People Don’t Lose Their Keys as Much as They Think (medscape.com)
Plasma phosphorylated (P)-tau217 can help identify amyloid-beta–positive, cognitively unimpaired individuals with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) who are most likely to deteriorate in the coming years, new research suggests. This is important because it is this subgroup of individuals with preclinical AD that really needs effective disease modifying therapies in the future. The findings also highlight the potential of easily available blood tests to increase the power of clinical trials, the researchers note. Blood Test May Predict Future Cognitive Decline in Preclinical AD (medscape.com)
Just six minutes of high-intensity exercise may be good for the brain, according to a new report. The study found that short bursts of aerobic exercise raised levels of a protein that is known to protect and nurture nerve cells and connections in the brain. Longer periods of more leisurely exercise did not produce the same effects. 6 Minutes to Better Brain Health | Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation (alzinfo.org)
Read the Positive Approach to Care’s blog: Tips to Reduce Loneliness in Residential Care Settings – Positive Approach to Care (teepasnow.com)
Learn more about Veteran’s benefits: The Ultimate Guide to Senior Veterans Benefits – DailyCaring
CNN offers a 10 year lookback at Alzheimer’s disease research: https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/health/alzheimers-disease-fast-facts/index.html
Hallucinations affect more than half of patients with Parkinson’s disease. They are often hidden by those experiencing them, yet they are something neurologists must be made aware of in their patients, since they are associated with poor long-term outcomes and a reduced quality of life. Hallucinations also are a source of stress for caregivers. Hallucinations, which can be auditory, tactile, and olfactory, happen during the waking state, at the onset of sleep, and overnight. In addition, patients with Parkinson’s disease may have problems identifying people, animals, and objects. This is known as Capgras delusion. Sufferers may become convinced that their partner has been replaced by an identical double. Some may believe that their home has been changed in some way. Parkinson’s Disease: Focus on Hallucinations (medscape.com)
Elevated depressive symptoms were associated with an additional brain age of nearly 3 years, based on data from more than 600 individuals. Long-term Depression May Hasten Brain Aging in Midlife (medscape.com)
February Webinars from Alabama Lifespan Respite: https://alabamarespite.org/events2/