Brain Chats: How toxic exposure shaped Parkinson’s disease research, with Braina R. DeMiranda, PHD, Assistant Professor, UAB Department of Neurology, February 1, 11 am, Avondale Library, 509 40th Street South, Birmingham.
The Dawn Series: Learn how to better relate to and care for your family and friends experiencing brain change caused by dementia, Wednesdays 3:00-4:00, February 12-March 19, Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church. The DAWN Method is special, intuitive, and rooted in love. Even with brain change due to dementia, people retain primary thinking skills, such as living in the present and enjoying beauty and companionship. Understanding the DAWN Method helps strengthen relationships in families and among friends. Join this 6-week book discussion with facilitators Susanna Whitsett (Executive Director of Founders Place Respite) and Sandy Porter (Director of Congregational Care at Saint Luke’s Church). To sign up, please click here: https://forms.gle/wQFhSdtsbvjjiTE39 or, contact Susanna (swhitsett@saint-lukes.com, 205.802.6217) or Sandy (sporter@saint-lukes.com, 205.802.6207)
Support Group Meetings:
- ACA’s support group with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, January 28, 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 Robin Montgomery, robin.montgomery@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
- Eastaboga, 2nd Tuesday, 6:00 pm. Contact Julie Slagle jslagle@lakesidehospice.org
- Trussville, 3rd Tuesday, 6:00 pm. Contact Julie Slagle jslagle@lakesidehospice.org
- M4A virtual support group, 3rd Wednesdays 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 atmdunaway@asburyonline.org.
- AFTD support group, second Tuesday of the month. Amber Guy: 251-281-5344.
- Discovery United Methodist Church, Hoover, 2nd and 4th Thursdays 10:30-noon. Peggy Harrison: pharrison@discoveryumc.org.
- St. Mark’s UMC, Vestavia Hills, Fridays at 1 pm. Contact Donna Baird: (205)717-9880.
January Webinars from Alabama Lifespan Respite: https://alabamarespite.org/events2/
Alzheimer’s News:
Read Brittney Luong’s beautiful essay, While You’re Still Here: Honoring My Grandmother and Others With Dementia. She writes “As a certified nursing assistant, I used to believe my role was to ease my residents’ final days. Instead, it is to affirm their identities.” https://www.nextavenue.org/honoring-grandmother-with-dementia/?utm_source=Next+Avenue+Email+Newsletter&utm_campaign=65e93e938c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_08_09_05_41_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-c30ea2364e-166427741&mc_cid=65e93e938c&mc_eid=b7f8491a70
Eight heart-healthy habits in middle age may help to keep the brain in good working order for decades, researchers report. The findings underscore the importance of heart and vascular health in helping to stave off dementia and other serious brain problems later in life. The eight cardiovascular health factors, known as the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, are: being active; eating better; maintaining a healthy weight; not smoking; maintaining a healthy blood pressure; getting enough sleep; and controlling cholesterol and blood sugar levels. More research is needed to understand this link between lifestyle habits and brain health, as well as how social factors like race and ethnicity can influence this connection. https://www.alzinfo.org/articles/prevention/8-steps-to-better-brain-health/
Close to 40 percent of households in the United States with older adults have at least one firearm on the premises. Handling a gun safely requires good vision, eye-hand coordination, motor skills, strength and balance. Age or medical conditions can affect any of those, says Emmy Betz, M.D., MPH, the founding director of Firearms Injury Prevention Initiative and a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. If the medical condition involves memory loss, the dangers increase. “Ideally, it’s not about confiscation or restriction. Ideally, it’s about helping people make these decisions ahead of time.” Betz’s Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative surveyed caregivers of people with memory loss who had firearms in their homes. They asked if the person had any plans of what to do with their guns when it became unsafe for them to use them. Only slightly more than half said they did. She urged people to think about the gun now. The sooner people can start this process the better. “This could be part of the tool kit of things that people are given to think through, like finances, housing and medication options, when a diagnosis is made. Home safety should be on the list.” https://alzfdn.org/firearm-injury-prevention/
Common drug classes that have the potential to be repurposed for dementia prevention should be prioritized for further study, new research suggests. If drugs that are already licensed for other conditions are found to treat or prevent dementia, they could potentially be made available much faster than an entirely new drug. Using a data-driven approach, the researchers conducted a systematic review to investigate the association between a wide range of prescription medications and dementia risk. In total, the team examined 14 studies that used large clinical datasets and medical records, capturing data from 139 million individuals and 1 million dementia cases. Antibiotics, vaccines, and antivirals were associated with a reduced risk for dementia, supporting the hypothesis that infections may play a role in triggering the dementia, the researchers noted. Anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, were also associated with a lower risk for dementia, in line with some prior data and supporting the hypothesis that inflammation contributes to cognitive decline. The analysis revealed conflicting evidence for several other drug classes, with some antihypertensive medications, antidepressants and, to a lesser extent, diabetes medications associated with a decreased risk for dementia. Antipsychotic medications were associated with an increased risk for dementia, as shown previously. Some antibiotics and antivirals, certain vaccines, anti-inflammatories, and medication to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol are among the medications most associated with a lower risk for dementia, the investigators found. We can’t draw definite conclusions from this study alone. This was an observational study so more work is needed to understand the careful balance between how the drugs work, their specific doses, interactions with other drugs and the individual’s own health, and how that can impact a person’s risk of developing dementia. Clinical trials will help to answer some of these questions. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/repurposing-meds-dementia-prevention-will-it-work-2025a10001m8?ecd=wnl_dne1_250124_MSCPEDIT_etid7182832&uac=407526BK&impID=7182832
Music can be an easy and inexpensive way to lower stress and ease agitation in people with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new report. The findings add to growing evidence that music can play an important role in dementia care. As Alzheimer’s progresses, worrisome behaviors such as agitation, aggression, wandering, and resistance to care become increasingly common. Music can help to reduce these troublesome behaviors, making care easier, the researchers found. Songs from when the person was between 10 and 30 years of age were found to be most effective. Experts say that music is a way of communicating with patients even in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Many people with severe Alzheimer’s cannot understand spoken language well, but they can respond to a familiar melody or song from their past. Listening to favorite music can help people with dementia focus and tune out outside stimuli that may be unfamiliar or upsetting. The pleasant feelings and memories elicited by the music can in turn help ease the agitation so common in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Individualized music therapy can also lead to improvements in attention, make people with dementia more engaged with their surroundings and those around them, and boost alertness and mood. By helping people feel safer and calmer, music can spur social interactions and lower levels of distress. Music can have benefits for caregivers as well. By improving patient well-being, it can make care less difficult and stressful. Listening to music together, singing, or playing a musical instrument also provides innovative, empathy-building ways for caregivers and those with Alzheimer’s to interact. Tips for including music in the care for a person with Alzheimer’s include: Choose music to set the mood you’re hoping to create. Quiet music may be suitable before bedtime, whereas soft but upbeat tunes may be appropriate for a special birthday celebration. Avoid music that may be too loud or interrupted by noisy commercials. Too much stimulation can cause confusion and agitation. Turn off the TV if music is playing to avoid overstimulation. Encourage those with Alzheimer’s to clap or sing along or play a musical instrument. Supplement music with fond reminiscences and looking at family photos. https://www.alzinfo.org/articles/prevention/how-music-can-ease-the-agitation-of-alzheimers/
Higher intake of processed red meat, including bacon, hot dogs, and bologna, is associated with a significantly elevated risk for cognitive decline and dementia, results of a large, long-term study suggested. Individuals who consumed more than a quarter of a serving of processed meat per day, roughly two whole servings per week, had a 13% higher dementia risk compared with those who consumed less than a 10th of a serving per day, which equates to approximately three whole servings per month. A typical serving of red meat is approximately three ounces. However, substituting one serving per day of processed red meat with a serving of fish, nuts and legumes, or chicken was associated with a 28%, 19%, and 16% lower risk for dementia, respectively. Unprocessed red meat, like steak or hamburger, was not significantly associated with any measure of objective cognitive function. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/processed-red-meat-tied-increased-dementia-risk-2025a100013j?ecd=wnl_dne3_250121_MSCPEDIT_etid7175503&uac=407526BK&impID=7175503
Watch the webinar ‘Rehabilitation and Dementia; global, national and personal perspectives’ led by Alzheimer’s Disease International and the WHO . Explore the latest insights on rehabilitation and how it can help support people living with dementia and ensure quality of life and independence post-diagnosis in this 1 hour and 16 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FLNyEIEc80
Check out the Caregiver Worksheets from Alzheimer’s Orange County on a variety of dementia topics. https://www.alzoc.org/resources/guide-for-caregivers/
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)