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, February 14, 2025

Understanding Dementia and Alzheimer’s workshop, February 15, 10 am – noon, featuring Miller Piggott, ACA Executive Director, at the Guiding Light Church, 1800 John Rogers Drive, 35210.  For more information contact Natalie Washington at 205-807-1826.   

Professional caregivers are invited to join the Dementia Action Alliance for a discussion about anosognosia and how it can affect people experiencing dementia and their companions, February 26, 11:30 – 12:30 pm CT.  Anosognosia is a lack of awareness and insight that can lead to stress and conflict.  https://daanow.org/registration/?mc_cid=919ffcbd48&mc_eid=5216959182

The Alzheimer’s Association’s is hosting a Caregiver Conference, February 27, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 3775 Crosshaven Drive, 35223.  Contact Billy Curtis for more information:  bmcurtis@alz.org.

Managing Difficult Dementia Behaviors Without Antipsychotic Medications, with Phronsie Owens, BS, RN, CADDCT, CDP, Coach, February 27, 2:00pm – 4:00 pm. This class provides 8 difficult dementia behaviors with interventions and rationale. Regency Retirement Village of Birmingham, 385 West Oxmoor Road, 35209, 256-441-4544.

Support Group Meetings:

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

Alzheimer’s News:

Follow the H.E.A.R.T.: Five Tips to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a Loved One Living with Dementia.  Valentine’s Day can present unique challenges to relationships; loved ones living with dementia may not be able to express themselves or remember things as they did before the onset of the illness. To help caregivers affected by dementia, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is encouraging families to follow H.E.A.R.T.—five tips on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a loved one.  Dementia changes many facets of life, including relationship dynamics, but it should not prevent people from feeling love and affection.  There are ways families can adapt how they connect and express support so that someone living with dementia can experience love on Valentine’s Day and throughout the year.  AFA encourages families to follow the five H.E.A.R.T. tips to create a dementia-friendly Valentine’s Day:

  • Help your loved one reminisce: Reminiscence activities provide valuable cognitive stimulation for someone living with dementia. Go through old photos together with your loved one and describe them—who the people are, where it was taken, what the occasion was, etc. Talking about moments you happily enjoyed together- whether it’s a vacation, celebration, or another occasion- is a great way to celebrate the love and special bond you share. Avoid asking the person questions such as “do you remember this?”
  • Enjoy flowers together: The time-honored Valentine’s Day gift of flowers can have therapeutic benefits for someone living with dementia—the scent can be uplifting and can also stimulate the brain. Purchase a bouquet of fresh flowers (preferably ones which are non-toxic to humans or pets, such as roses, orchids, or sunflowers), set it on a table, and enjoy the fragrance together.
  • Adapt intimacy: Dementia’s impact can make it difficult to do some things as you once did, but there are numerous ways to maintain, restore or create intimacy, love and connection. Sharing a meal, watching a familiar movie, enjoying favorite music, or just taking a walk together are all ways to help stay connected. Nonverbal cues, such as gentle touching, smiles, and eye contact, can also maintain or strengthen connections with someone who may no longer be able to verbalize their emotions as before.
  • Reaffirm your feelings. Write a Valentine’s card and read it out loud to your loved one. Even if they can no longer grasp the full meaning, they might feel the sentiments you are expressing. The act of writing it and communicating your love can also raise your own spirits.
  • Talk in the person’s “love language”: People give or receive love through “love languages,” such as touch, words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, and acts of service. Know what types of gestures your loved one responds positively to and try to “speak to them” in that love language. Keep in mind that these may change over time as the dementia-related illness progresses.https://alzfdn.org/follow-the-h-e-a-r-t-five-tips-to-celebrate-valentines-day-with-a-loved-one-living-with-dementia/

Relish offers life-changing products that have improved the lives of over 1 million people affected by dementia. Explore the products they offer to help you take control of your day and make new memories.  Relish has developed products at different levels to suit the varying stages of dementia. Although there’s no hard-and-fast rule, they’ve looked at 4 key stages so you can easily find the right product for someone with dementia.  You can take their “find your stage” Quiz here:  https://relish-life.com/en-us/pages/find-your-stage.  Their dementia products are thoughtfully designed to bring joy, calm and independence to people at any stage of their journey. Shop dementia-friendly products here:  https://relish-life.com/en-us/collections/all?utm_source=Newsletter%20Subscribers%20US&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February%20wk%202%20-%20Valentines%20Find%20Your%20Stage%20-%20%20US&_kx=oUeL1bsu20J6yN7A0NQfXfgi6blalbbb7wdj5dwW6wc.Uv5g2d.

First-time transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) may be associated with a long-term cognitive decline on par with stroke survivors, potentially overturning conventional beliefs about the neurologic impacts of TIAs, according to UAB investigators. These findings suggest that healthcare providers should be conducting cognitive screening in patients who have experienced their first TIA, Victor A. Del Bene, PhD, an assistant professor at The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, and colleagues reported.  TIAs are far from benign and should instead be considered potential harbingers of progressive cognitive decline.     The exact mechanisms driving post-TIA cognitive decline remain poorly understood.   Given the elevated risk for cognitive decline, physicians should not view TIAs as isolated, transient events but rather as markers of potential long-term neurologic impairment. Stroke-prevention specialists and primary care practitioners should question patients with TIAs, and ideally an informant such as a spouse, about the presence of cognitive symptoms and be prepared to do a cognitive screen for impairment.  TIA should now be viewed as a risk marker for cognitive decline as well as a risk marker for adverse vascular events.  https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/first-time-tias-linked-long-term-cognitive-decline-2025a10003ir?ecd=wnl_dne2_250212_MSCPEDIT_etid7224207&uac=407526BK&impID=7224207

Listen to the latest episode of BrainStorm, 18 minutes.  Host Meryl Comer continues her compelling interview with “Rockstar of Science” Dr. Rudy Tanzi, the pioneering Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit and Director of the McCance Center for Brain Health at Mass General Hospital. Dr. Tanzi unveils the secrets of brain health and Alzheimer’s research. Exploring his innovative SHIELD framework, Dr. Tanzi offers practical strategies for cognitive wellness, from sleep and stress management to diet and lifelong learning.  https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/brainstorm/rudy-tanzi-alzheimers-updates-and-developments-whats-new-part-2

Imagine you have just been diagnosed with mild cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease. Your doctor might suggest taking one of the newer medications such as lecanemab or donanemab, which have been shown in clinical trials to clear plaque-causing amyloid proteins from the brain that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s.  Both drugs require time-consuming biweekly or monthly infusions, however, and carry the risk of life-threatening swelling or bleeding in the brain. Then there’s the expense — even on Medicare, co-pays for the year can be thousands of dollars.  Are these downsides worth the risk? A new study estimated the amount of time people might continue to perform daily activities without assistance after beginning lecanemab, marketed as Leqembi, or donanemab, marketed as Kisunla.  Calculations ranged from eight months to an additional 39 months of independent living, depending on the severity of the disease when medication was started.  The purpose of the study, which analyzed Washington University, was to put the impact of these medications into context in ways that can help people make the decisions that are best for themselves and their family members. A person with typical mild cognitive decline, such as forgetting appointments or being unable to follow conversations fully, could expect to live independently for 29 months without treatment, the analysis showed.  Taking donanemab added eight months of independence, while taking lecanemab added 10 months, according to the calculations. For people with mild but obvious symptoms — such as repeating the same questions or getting lost — who already live in a residential facility donanemab provided an additional 19 months of being able to dress, eat and bathe independently. Lecanemab provided 26 additional months of self-care.  While those additional months may not appear to be a long extension of independence, the estimates could be meaningful for some people.  https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/13/health/independent-living-new-alzheimers-drugs-wellness/index.html

Learn about AFA’s Teen Alzheimer’s Awareness Scholarship. There are two ways to participate. First, AFA is recruiting volunteer readers to review and score essays submitted by college-bound high school seniors who have been impacted by Alzheimer’s. Readers will receive 10 essays and instructions for scoring. Once completed, you will return essays to the AFA team to determine who moves on to the next round. The time commitment is no more than an hour of your time (often less) and gives you insight into how dementia is affecting youth across the country. The stories are heartbreaking AND inspiring. Second, AFA is encouraging high school seniors from across the country to describe their experience with Alzheimer’s for the opportunity to be awarded $5,000.  Deadline is March 1, 2025. If you know a high school senior who would like to share their story, please share this link: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America | AFA’s Teen Alzheimer’s Awareness Scholarship (alzfdn.org)

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