Support Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama’s Fall events:
- Alzheimer’s Update with David Geldmacher, MD, Vestavia Library in the Woods, October 21, 6 – 7:30 pm. Dr. Geldmacher is a Professor and the Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he leads the UAB Brain Aging and Memory Clinic and the clinical trials program for potential Alzheimer’s treatments. He holds the Warren Family Endowed Chair in Neurology. Free and open to the public. (205)871-7970
- Get Down on the Farm for Walking to Remember 2024, November 2, 300 Office Park Drive. Registration starts at 9 am and the Walk gets underway at 10. Fun for everyone with a petting zoo, square dancers, hotdogs, Big Spoon Creamery, fancy balloon hats and more. ACA’s Walk T-shirts are collector’s items! Get your by joining the fun and making a minimum donation of $50 for a short-sleeved; $75 for a long-sleeved; $100 for a cap and shirt. Get your family, friends and coworkers to join you Down on the Farm! https://alzca.org/walking/
- Alzheimer’s Day of Prayer and Remembrance, November 10.
- ACA’s Annual Meeting and Candle Lighting Service, featuring Renee Harmon, Vestavia Library in the Woods, November 14, 9 – 10:30 am.
Free Memory Screening at Positive Maturity, every Wednesday from 9 – 11, 106 Oxmoor Blvd., Suite 152. 205- 803-3211.
The Eden Alternative and Dementia Action Alliance Online Symposium – Rethink Dementia: Shift Perspectives, Shape the Future,October 30, 9 am – 2 pm. Explore innovative strategies and insights to create lasting solutions in dementia support. Rethink Dementia
AFA webinar: The Caregiver Trifecta: Empowering Families to Plan for Personhood, Dignity and Connection at Every Stage of Care,November 5, noon – 1 pm CT https://alzfdn.org/event/afa-special-edition-care-connection-webinar-november-5-2024/
Support Group Meetings:
- ACA’s support group with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, October 29, 11 – noon CT (NOTE: there will be no meeting October 22). 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 Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@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
- Pell City, 2nd Tuesday, 2:30 pm. Contact Julie Slagle, jslagle@lakesidehospice.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 at mdunaway@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.
October/November Webinars from Alabama Lifespan Respite: https://alabamarespite.org/events2/
Alzheimer’s News:
Shape Alabama’s Brain Health! The Alabama Department of Public Health is conducting a survey about what information and resources Alabama communities need about brain health, Alzheimer’s disease, and other types of dementia. The information you provide is confidential and will be used to inform our state’s public health programs and services. Any adult living in Alabama can participate. The survey takes about 10 minutes. https://universityofalabama.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bx8ham9TxBx2G2y
Getting drugs to the brain is difficult. The very thing designed to protect the brain’s environment — the blood-brain barrier (BBB), tightly packed cells that prevent most substances from passing through — is one of the main reasons diseases like Alzheimer’s are so hard to treat. And even if a drug can cross the BBB, it’s difficult to ensure it reaches specific areas of the brain like the hippocampus, which is located deep within the brain and notoriously difficult to target with conventional drugs. However, new research shows that novel bioengineered proteins can target neurons in the hippocampus. Using a mouse model, the researchers found that these proteins could be delivered to the hippocampus intranasally — through the nose via a spray. This is the first time a protein drug, which is larger than many drug molecules, has been specifically delivered to the hippocampus. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/new-way-smuggle-drugs-through-blood-brain-barrier-2024a1000ijs?ecd=wnl_sci_tech_241016_MSCPEDIT_etid6906963&uac=407526BK&impID=6906963
University of Washington’s Dr. Barak Gaster joined Being Patient founder Deborah Kan in a conversation on why diagnosing Alzheimer’s is so difficult, particularly in its early stages. He also sheds light on the barriers physicians face in recognizing mild cognitive impairment and how primary care providers can improve diagnosis and care for those experiencing cognitive decline. Read or watch the conversation on YouTube to learn his practical advice for patients and caregivers seeking diagnosis, as well as his take on why these challenges exist and what can be done to improve the diagnosis process. https://www.beingpatient.com/how-to-pick-up-on-early-signs-alzheimers-dementia/?utm_source=Being+Patient+Newsletter&utm_campaign=0585441cc3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_06_03_59_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_95b92454c1-0585441cc3-109213217
A small study suggests that one of the main active ingredients in cannabis, THC, may help to relieve agitation in people with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine found that a synthetic form of the marijuana derivative reduced agitation levels in people with Alzheimer’s by an average of 30 percent. The drug appeared to produce similar calming effects as powerful psychiatric drugs currently used to treat agitation but with few of the serious side effects, such as delirium, seizures or increased risk of premature death. Agitation remains a common behavioral problem in people with Alzheimer’s, affecting as many as three out of four people with advanced disease. Symptoms of agitation can include pacing, restlessness, yelling or hitting, presenting special challenges for caregivers looking after someone with Alzheimer’s. Such behaviors are a common reason why those with Alzheimer’s can no longer live at home and must be placed in a nursing home or assisted-living facility. It is the agitation, not the memory loss, that often drives individuals with dementia to the emergency department and long-term care facilities. Dronabinol has the potential to both reduce health care costs and make an important, positive impact on caregivers’ mental and physical health. https://www.alzinfo.org/articles/research/cannabis-product-may-help-ease-agitation-of-alzheimers/
More than four in five voters (82%) favor requiring Medicare and other insurance companies to cover early Alzheimer’s treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — including 65% who strongly favor this policy even if it increases health insurance premiums — according to a new poll conducted by Lake Research Partners and Public Opinion Strategies. Nearly three-fourths of voters (73%) would be willing to pay $5 more each month to make it happen. Voters agree that Medicare beneficiaries should have access to these medicines. At their core, Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike believe that people with Alzheimer’s shouldn’t be treated any differently from those with other diseases. Few other issues show these levels of consensus and urgency amongst voters. The public also believes that it’s wrong for Medicare to require that beneficiaries participate in clinical research as a condition of coverage for receiving these new Alzheimer’s medicines. Since April 2022, the Medicare program has required “coverage with evidence development” (CED) for all FDA-approved early Alzheimer’s therapies. Under a CED, Medicare indiscriminately mandates that beneficiaries enroll in clinical studies for coverage of selected treatments, or else coverage will be denied. The program also imposes strict eligibility criteria on the health professionals and hospitals that can qualify to collect data and run the studies. The net effect is only a small fraction of Medicare beneficiaries have gotten access to the two current early Alzheimer’s treatments available, Leqembi and Kisunla. No other FDA-approved drugs for on-label use in other diseases have been subject to CED. Other public and private payers have followed Medicare’s lead, including TRICARE and Cigna. Several other private payers use complex guidelines to deter utilization. https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/press/new-poll-bipartisan-majority-believes-medicare-beneficiaries-should-have-access-fda-approved
Mild or disabling hearing loss in middle-aged and older adults is associated with cognitive impairment, new findings show. However, unlike in previous studies, investigators found no cognitive benefit from wearing hearings aids, except in people with depression. Investigators say that their findings suggest it may be useful to monitor cognitive function in middle-aged individuals with hearing loss. About half of all adults aged 60-65 years are affected by hearing loss, which was identified as one of a dozen modifiable risk factors for dementia in a 2020 Lancet Commission report. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/hearing-loss-tied-cognitive-decline-even-hearing-aid-use-2024a1000idu?ecd=wnl_dne1_241010_MSCPEDIT_etid6894096&uac=407526BK&impID=6894096
Earlier this year, ACA Vice President for Development, Renee Brwon Harmon, spoke for the Alabama Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association at The Oaks on Parkwood, a retirement community in Birmingham. This article in The Alabama Baptist describes her presentation and includes a lot of helpful information. Renee will be speaking at ACA’s Annual Meeting and Candle Lighting Service, November 14, at the Vestavia Library. https://thealabamabaptist.org/retired-physician-shares-practical-tips-for-caregiving-from-personal-experience/
Keeping your brain sharp as you age has a lot to do with your heart — and the younger you start taking better care of it, the better — according to a new scientific statement published Thursday by the American Heart Association. Nearly 130 million adults in the United States have some form of heart disease, according to the AHA. Dementia is commonly seen as an incurable and relentless disease that cannot be prevented. Evidence shows, however, that adopting a healthy lifestyle and identifying and treating vascular risk factors early may help preserve normal brain function and reduce the burden of Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias. https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/10/health/heart-dementia-risk-wellness/index.html
President Biden has officially signed the reauthorization of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act (AAIA) into law. Together, NAPA and AAIA advance the national strategic plan for Alzheimer’s. The reauthorization of the NAPA recognizes Alzheimer’s as a critical public health crisis. Particularly, NAPA increases public awareness and support for people living with the disease and their families. The AAIA would enhance accountability and transparency in federal funding for Alzheimer’s research, care, and support services. Specifically, the bill requires the National Institutes of Health to submit an annual budget and estimated personnel needed to carry out initiatives related to NAPA. As Alzheimer’s rates continue to rise, this legislation will enhance research, increase caregiver support, and address public health challenges linked to the disease. https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/press/president-signs-napa-reauthorization-and-aaia-law-major-victory-fight-against-alzheimers