Join us for Ales & Tails, at Cahaba Brewery, Saturday, March 26, noon – 5. Help ACA’s Jr. Board raise money for the Lindy Harrell Pre-Doctoral Scholars Program in Alzheimer’s research at UAB. Crawfish plates with all the fixings are $25. Help us get the word out!! Here’s the link for images for social media and sponsorship info: https://alzca.org/ales-materials/
Can’t attend the event? Show your support by purchasing tickets to ACA Jr. Board’s amazing raffle. Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. Items will be raffled separately at the close of the event. You do not need to be present to win. To purchase raffle tickets:https://alzca.org/ales/
- ACA’s signature “Liquor Wagon” filled with an assortment of libations.
- Taco or nacho buffet at your home or business for up to 25, compliments of Taco Mama;
- Cooler of meat: 4 bone-in ribeye steaks; 3 loin back ribs, 3 pork tenderloins, 9 lbs. bacon, 5.5 lbs. smoked sausage, 5 lbs. sausage patties; 6 lbs. fully cooked hot wings, 3 lbs. Ball Park Franks. Can be delivered locally; can be split into 2 deliveries,
In-person and zoom Support Groups:
ACA’s Coffee Talk with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, March 22, 11 – noon CT. Call (205) 871-7970 or mpiggott@alzca.org. Join us on zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86450491838
- Pell City group, February 22, at 6:30. Going forward this group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month at 6:30; and the third Tuesdays of the month at 6:30. Contact Bit Thomaston, ethomason50@gmail.com
· 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
· 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@bellsouth.net.
· 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
- 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.
March Webinars from Alabama Lifespan Respite (https://alabamarespite.org/events2/):
- Taking Care of Yourself as a Caregiver, March 19, 10 am
- Maintaining Your Identity as a Caregiver, March 20, 6 pm
- End of Life Issues, March 25, 10 am
- Recognizing Caregiver Burnout, March 26, 10 am
- De-Stressing, March 27, 6 pm
- BREAK, March 29, 10 am
Home Instead Live Chats: free “live chat” webinar on March 23 on “How Family & Professional Caregivers Work Together.” Click here to browse the archives for speakers on a wide variety of dementia care topics.
Alzheimer’s News:
Meryl Comer with the A-List of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is the host of BrainStorm podcasts. Listen as she talks with leading researchers, authors, and experts about brain health, memory, and new developments in research. Click here for her talk with Dr. Jonathan Jackson, cognitive neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, about clinical research and stigma in communities of color. Find BrainStorm podcast on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s website MyBrainGuide.org empowers people with knowledge and resources to take the best next steps in managing their own or a loved one’s brain health. Click below:
· Brain health resource center
· Center for Brain Health Equity resources
· Early signs and symptoms of dementia
· Dementia screening, detection and diagnosis
· Living with Alzheimer’s and dementia
TTThe Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas hosts virtual webinars featuring brain scientists, authors, inventors. The talks are virtual and free. April 26, Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks about “Myths of Brain Performance.” Sign up and learn more here.
This Dementia Life podcast: The Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) podcast features and celebrates the voices of people living with dementia and care partners. The program is hosted by Chuck McClatchey, a DAA Advisory Board Member who is living with Alzheimer’s. Click here to listen.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved donepezil transdermal system (Adlarity) for patients with mild, moderate, or severe Alzheimer’s. Adlarity is the first and only once-weekly patch to continuously deliver consistent doses of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor through the skin, bypassing the digestive system and resulting in low likelihood of gastrointestinal (GI) side effects associated with oral donepezil (Aricept). The patch, which should be available by Fall 2022, offers effective, well-tolerated and stable dosing for 7 days for patients who cannot take daily oral Aricept reliably because of impaired memory. FDA Clears Once-Weekly Transdermal Patch for Alzheimer’s (medscape.com)
The vestibular system is the “sixth hidden sense” because it’s not a conscious perception like taste or smell. The vestibular system consists of three semicircular canals, which detect rotational head movement, and two otolith organs, which sense linear head movements and the orientation of the head with respect to gravity. It’s constantly providing input to our brain about where we are in space. A study on vestibular therapy, which is noninvasive and nonpharmaceutical, is set to begin. Restoring ‘Sixth Sense’ May Reduce Falls in Alzheimer’s (medscape.com)
A cross-sectional data analysis of 183 populations found living in a large household reduces dementia mortality overall. It is well established that appropriate psychological, social support and physical care have been the key strategies for the healthcare for dementia patients. Studies have revealed that, psychologically, family life increases levels of purpose in life, which may reduce risk of dementia by 30%. Large households may offer the residents more social engagement in life which is protective against dementia. Large household reduces dementia mortality: A cross-sectional data analysis of 183 populations (plos.org)
Researchers have identified two types of cells in our brains that are involved in organizing discrete memories based on when they occurred. This finding improves our understanding of how the human brain forms memories and could have implications in memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. This work is transformative in how the researchers studied the way the human brain thinks. It brings to human neuroscience an approach used previously in non-human primates and rodents by recording directly from neurons that are generating thoughts. Researchers uncover how the human brain separates, stores, and retrieves memories: Study identifies brain cells that form boundaries between discrete events — ScienceDaily
Myelin is an insulating layer, or sheath that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord. This myelin sheath allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells. Autopsy studies have suggested that tau protein accumulation, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, favors brain regions with less myelin. Identification of myelin as a protective factor would implicate it as a possible therapeutic target for AD. In Alzheimer’s Disease, Myelin May Protect Against Tau Pathology (medscape.com)
Increased concentrations of the tau protein in the brain’s frontal, medial and occipital cortices are associated with psychosis and more rapid cognitive and functional decline in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, an imaging study shows. Tau Buildup in Brain Tied to Psychosis, More Rapid Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease (medscape.com)
A new UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST® survey of people with Alzheimer’s and Alzheimer’s caregivers shows that 75 percent want Medicare to cover new therapies—even after they are told that the drugs have a risk of side effects and still require confirmatory trials. https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/press/new-survey-three-four-alzheimers-community-want-medicare-cover-alzheimers-treatments
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