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 November 16, 2023

Great News!  ACA has reached our Walk goal!  Thank you to all who stepped right up and helped us raise $145,000 and counting!

It’s not too late to order pizza and support ACA tonight!  The Crossings at Riverchase and Home Instead are offering a take n’ bake pizza dinner to raise money for the Walk.  You can pick your dinner up from 4:30 – 6, so just stop by for a cold beverage on your way home. 2171 Parkway Lake Drive, Hoover, 35244.

https://alzca.org/pizza/ 

Please join Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama for our Annual Meeting & Candlelighting Service Friday, November 17.  Celebrate all that ACA has accomplished in 2023 with the help of many friends and supporters. Candles will be lit and passages read for our Love, Memories, Grief, Courage, and Hope.  Canterbury United Methodist Church, Wesley Hall, 350 Overbrook Road, 35213.  A lite breakfast will be provided at 8:30 am, followed by the service from 9 – 10 am.  Candlelighting service

Walking Alongside Persons Living with Dementia, with local physician and author, Renee Harmon, at First United Methodist Church – Birmingham, on Wednesday evenings, November 29, from 6:00-7:00 pm.

To register:  First United Methodist

Support Group Meetings:

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

Alzheimer’s News:

Happy Thanksgiving!  The UAB Office of Wellness explains how gratitude can change your life.  Take a moment to consider 5 evidence-based reasons to start practicing gratitude today: 

https://image.reach.uab.edu/lib/fe2f1570756405757c1178/m/1/46aa5e43-4ee7-42e4-85dc-14dd8e422523.pdf

DailyCaring offers 10 useful and realistic tips that help you care for yourself this holiday season.

https://dailycaring.com/10-stress-relief-tips-to-get-you-through-the-holidays-self-care-for-caregivers/

Holidays in assisted living communities can still be fun, festive, and meaningful even if it means creating new traditions. Older adults in assisted living will feel loved and included when you find ways to bring the holiday spirit to them.  DailyCaring  answers 3 top questions:

  • Should you bring your older adult home for a family celebration?
  • What should you do when an older adult is no longer aware of holidays?
  • What festive activities work well in assisted living?

https://dailycaring.com/how-to-celebrate-holidays-with-seniors-in-assisted-living/

Slow-wave sleep, or deep sleep, supports the ageing brain in many ways, and we know that sleep augments the clearance of metabolic waste from the brain, including facilitating the clearance of proteins that aggregate in Alzheimer’s disease.  New findings suggest that slow wave sleep loss may be a modifiable dementia risk factor.  Losing as little as 1% of deep sleep each year has been linked to a 27% increase in dementia risk, results of a retrospective cohort study show. Researchers suggest that prioritizing deep sleep — also known as slow-wave sleep (SWS) may lower dementia risk.https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/998364?src=FYE

Hearing loss is important for health. It’s important for communication, social engagement and quality of life. And for some individuals, it may also be important for brain health.  Hearing loss is not just about the ability to hear, but also the amount of energy and effort necessary to communicate.  When hearing is diminished, it requires an individual to spend a lot of energy focusing, such as lip reading and interpretating other communication cues. This is stressful and mentally taxing.  Treating age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) may help protect some older adults from cognitive decline, according to findings from the first large, prospective randomized trial.  https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/998361

Blood pressure reduction is effective in reducing the risk of dementia in patients with hypertension.  Results of a trial using an intensive, 4-year program aimed at blood pressure lowering showed that intervention reduced not only blood pressure (BP), but also significantly reduced the risk of total dementia over that period.  All-cause dementia was reduced by 15% in the intervention group.  https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/998381?src=FYE

In the first year of the COVID-19, there was a significant drop in working memory and executive function in older individuals.  The trend persisted into the second year of the pandemic after social restrictions had eased.  3140 participants (54% women; mean age, 68 years) in a longitudinal aging study in the United Kingdom, completed annual cognitive assessments and self-reported questionnaires related to mental health and lifestyle.  During the first year of the pandemic, 6 months of which included societal lockdowns, significant worsening of executive function and working memory were observed across the entire cohort.  Worsening of working memory was sustained across the whole cohort in the second year of the pandemic after the lockdowns were lifted.  The current study underlines the importance of careful monitoring of people at risk during major events such as the pandemic. https://www.medscape.com/for-you?ecd=WNL_recnlnew4_broad_US_perso_artid998409_etid6063249&uac=407526BK&231116&impID=6063249

A new study found that a daily serving of strawberries led to improvements in some thinking skills in middle-aged men and women with memory complaints.  The findings build on earlier evidence that various types of berries, including strawberries, blueberries, and cranberries, may be good for the brain. Both strawberries and blueberries contain antioxidants called anthocyanins, which have been implicated in a variety of berry health benefits such as metabolic and cognitive enhancements.  There is epidemiological data suggesting that people who consume strawberries or blueberries regularly have a slower rate of cognitive decline with aging.  Anthocyanins, natural plant pigments that give berries their red and purple colors, belong to a class of plant nutrients called flavonoids. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants, which help to neutralize highly reactive oxygen compounds that can damage cells throughout the body, including in the brain. Flavonoids also have inflammation-fighting effects, and increasingly doctors recognize that inflammation plays a critical role in many chronic conditions of age, including Alzheimer’s disease.  Berries contain other healthful nutrients as well, and they and are also high in fiber. A high-fiber diet has been linked to a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.  https://www.alzinfo.org/articles/prevention/strawberries-as-brain-food/

Alzheimer’s disease is a complex journey, both for those experiencing it and their caregivers. Early in the condition, a person will experience mild memory problems and behavioral changes. Advanced Alzheimer’s may take years to appear. So, what are the indicators of late-stage Alzheimer’s, and how caregivers can identify them? How do doctors know when the disease has moved from its middle years into late stages? And what treatments and support are out there? Read expert-vetted guidance, from BeingPatient, on how to navigate Alzheimer’s progression into the disease’s advanced stages. https://www.beingpatient.com/recognizing-advanced-alzheimers-signs-support-care/

Give the gift of Alzheimer’s artwork this holiday season.  ACA’s 2024 calendar, Caregiver Voices, is available for $15.  Packs of 6 notecards featuring original artwork are available for $12. (Prices include shipping).  Visit alzca.org/calendars – to order your holiday gifts today.

 

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