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 January 27, 2023

Join local author, Renee Harmon, for a book signing for her teaching memoir Suffering the Waves of Alzheimer’s, at Innova Coffee near the Colonnade, January 28, 8:30-1:00.

Alzheimer’s News:

Adhering to six healthy lifestyle behaviors is linked to slower memory decline in older adults, a large, population-based study suggests. After adjusting for health and socioeconomic factors, investigators found that each individual healthy behavior was associated with a slower-than-average decline in memory over a decade. A healthy diet emerged as the strongest deterrent, followed by cognitive activity and physical exercise. A healthy lifestyle is associated with slower memory decline, even in the presence of the APOE4 allele. Six Healthy Lifestyle Habits Linked to Slowed Memory Decline (medscape.com):

  • Physical exercise (weekly frequency and total time)
  • Smoking (current, former, or never-smokers)
  • Alcohol consumption (never drank, drank occasionally, low to excess drinking, and heavy drinking)
  • Diet (daily intake of 12 food items: fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, dairy products, salt, oil, eggs, cereals, legumes, nuts, tea)
  • Cognitive activity (writing, reading, playing cards, mahjong, other games)
  • Social contact (participating in meetings, attending parties, visiting friends/relatives, traveling, chatting online)

The RAND Corporation has launched the Community Care Network for Dementia (CaN-D). Funded by the National Institute on Aging, CaN-D will bring together researchers, providers and policymakers around improving and coordinating dementia home and community-based services. Stakeholders interested in participating are encouraged to complete the short survey.

To many, the word “hobby” signifies something lightweight or trivial. Yet taking on a new hobby as one ages might provide an important defense against dementia.  Experts say we should use the word “pursuit” instead of “hobby,” as it elevates the concept of an activity to something demanding, something requiring concentration or collaboration. Activities that demand focus and industry are the whetstone to keeping cognition sharp.  Our brains are like any other part of our body “Use it or lose it” is not just a hypothesis, it’s a basic biologic fact that holds as true for our brains as our muscles or our bones. How hobbies may help gird against dementia – The Washington Post

Hormone Replacement therapy (HRT) introduced early during the menopausal transition may protect against Alzheimer’s dementia in women carrying the APOE4 gene, new research suggests.  HRT May Prevent Alzheimer’s in High-Risk Women (medscape.com)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected Eli Lilly’s application for the accelerated approval of its amyloid-clearing antibody donanemab for treating Alzheimer’s disease. An accelerated approval lets the FDA grant conditional marketing authorization for a treatment based on preliminary safety and efficacy data, but additional clinical testing is required before a traditional approval is granted. Eli Lilly provided safety and efficacy data, however, the FDA said it expected data from at least 100 patients who received donanemab for at a least a year and cited the failure to meet that as the reason for the rejection.  Accelerated Approval Denied for Alzheimer’s Therapy Donanemab | Alzheimer’s News Today (alzheimersnewstoday.com)

At the end of 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the annual update to the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. The updated National Plan highlights 2022 achievements, 10 years of accomplishments and plans for a Risk Reduction Summit in 2023.

The National Alliance for Caregiving published a new report developed with support from The John A. Hartford Foundation in partnership with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. Chronic Disease Family Caregiving Through a Public Health Lens: The Framework for Family Caregiving and Public Health, outlines policy recommendations to help the public health community address the complex needs of America’s 53 million family caregivers.

When a person is uncomfortable, it can look like restlessness, fidgeting, impatience, worry, fear, or distress. Your personality style, past experiences, self-awareness, and brain health will determine how you manage and express that discomfort. Be empowered to identify and meet needs more effectively, and you will realize there is suddenly less anxiety and agitation.  Read more from A Positive Approach to Care:  Anxiety and Agitation or Discomfort and a Plea for Help? – Positive Approach to Care (teepasnow.com)

People hospitalized with viral infections like the flu are more likely to have disorders that degrade the nervous system, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, later in life.  Researchers found 22 links between viruses and common neurological conditions often seen in older people. The viruses included influenza, encephalitis, herpes, hepatitis, pneumonia,  meningitis and shingles. The authors of the study cautioned that their findings stopped short of saying the viruses caused the disorders. Flu, Other Common Viruses Linked to Neurologic Conditions (medscape.com)

Read what experts from the University of California San Francisco have to say about progress being made to treat Alzheimer’s.  30 Years On, Are We Winning the Fight Against Alzheimer’s? | UC San Francisco (ucsf.edu)

Middle-aged adults who spend just 9 additional minutes a day participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) experience improved cognition in new findings that underscore the critical role brisk exercise, such as running and cycling, plays in brain health. Nine More Minutes of Vigorous Exercise Daily Tied to Better Cognition (medscape.com)

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

Support ACA by using AmazonSmile!   Designate Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases. smile.amazon.com 

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