ACA’s Jr. Board will host Glow for a Cure, a nighttime golf tournament, Friday, July 30, at Highland Park Golf Course. There are a few spots left for teams or you can be a Hole Sponsor (contact vholder@alzca.org). Spectator tickets are $25 and include Taco Mama dinner, auction, and entertainment from the Maxx Groove band. All proceeds benefit ACA’s Pre-Doctoral Scholars Program in Alzheimer’s disease at UAB. See attached flyer.
Alabama Lifespan Respite July Caregiver Training, www.alabamarespite.org:
- July 24, 10 am, Caring for the Caregiver – Part II
- July 27, 2 pm, B.R.E.A.K – Breath in. Relax. Enjoy life. Appreciate all. Know rest is vital.
Lunch & Learn, “My Mind is Slipping. What’s Next?”, with Miller Piggott, ACA Executive Director, Thursday, August 12, 11 – 1 pm, CT, Dawson Church. Deadline to register for lunch: August 6. Contact dmoss@dawsonchurch.org, 205-871-7324.
Webinar, August 12, noon CT, with Lynn Castelle Harper, author of On Vanishing: Mortality, Dementia & What It Means to Disappear. Alzheimer’s Foundation of America | Care Connection Webinar: Exploring Dimensions of Spirituality & Dementia (alzfdn.org)
Dorothy McDaniel’s Flower Market has selected ACA as their Charity in Bloom for July. Visit their website scroll down to Charity in Bloom for details on the bouquet they will create for ACA during July. 20% of the proceeds will benefit ACA’s Pre-Doctoral Scholars Program in Alzheimer’s disease at UAB. www.dorothymcdaniel.com
In-person and zoom Support Groups:
· ACA’s Coffee Talk with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, July 27, 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 Susan Logan, susanlogan65@gmail.com
· Pell City, (in person)-1st Tuesday of each month, 11:00 am, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Parish Hall, Cropwell. Contact Bit Thomaston, Ethomaston50@gmail.com
· West Alabama Area Agency on Aging, Caregiver Support Group, Tuesdays, contact Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@westal.org.
· CJFS CARES, Tuesdays, 7:00 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
· Leeds, (in person) 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm, St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, contact Bit Thomaston, ethomaston50@gmail.com
· United Way Area Agency on Aging of Jefferson County, 3rd Tuesday of each month 11:30-12:30, contact Valarie Lawson,vlawson@uwaaa.org
· Asbury United Methodist Church 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 1:00, contact Maggie Dunaway at mdunaway@asburyonline.org.
Alzheimer’s News:
This week the National Alzheimer’s Project Act Advisory Council unanimously adopted a motion to add a sixth goal to the National Plan – to reduce the prevalence of risk factors for dementia. You can help UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and other advocacy agencies put brain health on the national agenda by signing a letter to President Biden and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra urging them to take action on two key brain health initiatives, which include: 1) Supporting tripling the funding for CDC’s Alzheimer’s disease and healthy aging program. 2) Instating a National Alzheimer’s prevention goal. Help get brain health on the national agenda by circulating this opportunity.
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Center for Brain Health Equity released new data – by county and congressional district- on prevalence of Alzheimer’s in communities of color. This data brief identifies the congressional districts that overlap with the 25 counties with the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s among Black and Latino Americans across the United States. It highlights the systemic inequities prevalent in these counties and makes recommendations for policymakers to advance brain health equity in hard-hit communities. Alabama does not have a county on the list but many of our neighboring states do, including Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. Place-Brain-Health-Equity_Data-Brief_July-2021.pdf (brainhealthdata.org)
Numerous discrepancies exist between the realities of dementia and overall feelings about a diagnosis. Among the more startling findings is 48% of adults believe they will likely have dementia — far more than will actually develop it. AARP’s Survey on the Perceptions related to a Dementia Diagnosis included these findings:
- Nine in 10 adults age 40 and older (91%) want to be told of a dementia diagnosis, but only 78% of providers said they always tell patients the truth.
- 81% of adults 40+ reported that if they found out they had dementia at an early stage, they would be motivated to have a healthier lifestyle to potentially slow the progression of the disease
- Overall, nearly six in 10 (58%) adults age 40 and older believe cognitive decline is inevitable as people age. Significantly more adults age 40 to 49 believe this compared to all other age groups.
Pam Montana was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016. She writes about what the new Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm, means to her. “There has been a lot of controversy around the new Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab. As someone living with early stage Alzheimer’s, I have a lot of feelings around this. Those of us with a terminal illness without a cure need hope. On the day the FDA approved Aduhelm, I woke up in tears (happy tears). I was so excited and so thankful. My family had been praying for something like this for a long time. I’ve done absolutely everything I can to stay healthy, exercise, read, challenge my brain and eat well. That’s all great, but we need more than that, and that’s why Aduhelm is so exciting. It gives me hope. It gives my family hope.”
Opinion: New Alzheimer’s drug provides me and my family needed hope (mercurynews.com)
The global prevalence of young-onset dementia (YOD) is significantly higher than previously thought. Results of a large analysis show that currently, 3.9 million individuals are living with YOD. Prevalence of Dementia Before Age 65 Much Higher Than Expected (medscape.com)
Watch these great and brief teaching videos from UCLA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lORX9sm_JOM&list=PLw0lBK4PlwF7Umx_D0qH7IVikbXE9KF8_&index=1
Read the latest blog from Positive Approach to Dementia Care: Teepa Snow has long taught us that we need to focus on a person’s remaining abilities far more than on what dementia is robbing them of. This can become a more difficult task as a person starts to reach the later stages of the condition. There can be frustration on both sides as things just aren’t the way they used to be, and it’s getting more difficult for both of you. Late-Stage Dementia Care: 4 Tips for Overcoming Challenges – Positive Approach to Care (teepasnow.com)