Join AFTD Ambassador, Corey Esannason, for a Virtual Meet & Greet for young adults, between ages of 20 and 45, with a parent with FTD, Thursday, March 11, at 7:00 pm. Click this flyer for more information.
Complex Care Management for People Living with Dementia (National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center, March 11, 2021 at 1:00)
Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges of an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis (Home Instead, Inc., April 1, noon CT)
Zoom Support Groups available online:
- ACA’s Coffee Talk with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, March 2, 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 1:30 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, 1st Tuesday of each month, 2:00 pm, contact Bit Thomaston, Ethomaston50@gmail.com
- West Alabama Area Agency on Aging, Caregiver Support Group, Tuesdays, contact Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@westal.org.
- Leeds, 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm, 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.
- CJFS CARES, Thursdays, 7:30 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
Alzheimer’s News:
Two new studies tie air pollution to the brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that living in areas with heavily polluted air, whether from car emissions, power plants, factories or forest fires, can accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s in people who may already be vulnerable to developing the disease. Growing Evidence Links Air Pollution to Alzheimer’s Disease | Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation (alzinfo.org)
Watch AFA’s webinar, “Managing COVID-19: Special Issues Facing Families Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease”, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America | Webinar: Managing COVID-19: “Special Issues Facing Families Affected by Alzheimer’s” (alzfdn.org)
How To Navigate Driving and Dementia: 3 Things You Need To Know. Being Patient spoke with clinical psychologist Linda Ercoli about ways for families to handle driving and dementia, from spotting the warning signs of dangerous driving, to holding family discussions, to planning for alternative transportation. Learn more about this issue >>
The biggest myth around hospice care is that it means giving up on your older adult. It’s important to know that people who use hospice care don’t die faster. In some cases, patients in hospice may actually live longer because their quality of life has improved.The main difference between hospice and “regular” medical care is that the focus is no longer on “curing” your loved one. Realistically, many curative treatments carry high risks for older adults, aren’t as likely to succeed, and simply cause unnecessary suffering. https://dailycaring.com/hospice-care-isnt-just-for-dying/?utm_source=DailyCaring&utm_campaign=0a8bb3f1d9-DC_Email_2021-02-24&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_57c250b62e-0a8bb3f1d9-123515277
The brain weighs 2% of the body weight and consumes 20% of the fuel. WAM Research Grant Recipients address issues from diet to diabetes, probiotics to perimenopause–and how they impact women’s brain health. Read the Q&A HERE
Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk. When we go for a walk, we perform better on tests of memory and attention; our brain cells build new connections, staving off the usual withering of brain tissue that comes with age. According to the CDC, a single bout of moderate-to vigorous activity (including walking) can improve our sleep, thinking, and learning, while reducing symptoms of anxiety. READ MORE
Veterans who were exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War may be at increased risk of developing dementia.U.S. forces used Agent Orange during the Vietnam War to defoliate jungle trees and plants that provided cover for enemy forces, and to kill food crops. Many American servicemen were exposed to dioxin, which may persist in fat tissues in the body for decades. Agent Orange has been linked to Parkinson’s, cancer, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Vietnam Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange at Higher Dementia Risk | Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation (alzinfo.org)
11 Brain Foods that Benefit Memory, Concentration, and Mood: Many of these foods contain healthy components such as omega-3 fats, which can help fend off dementia. READ MORE
Soaring Spirits’ mission is to provide programs, resources, and a community of support for widowed people. https://soaringspirits.org/covid-widow-support/widowed-by-covid-19/
Click to learn more:
- Virtual COVID-19 Widowed Support
- Support for the Newly Widowed
- Blogs Written by Newly Widowed People
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s released a statement recommending a $289 million increase for Alzheimer’s research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Alzheimer’s is a looming chronic disease pandemic that touches millions of families each year, and it is vital to continue needed increases in federal funding for Alzheimer’s research that can lead to effective treatments, cures, and prevention. Federal spending for Alzheimer’s research at NIH has increased from $448 million in 2010 to $3.1 billion in FY21. “The White House and Congress must dedicate more energy, urgency and focus to stopping Alzheimer’s. There should be bipartisan support for a set of recommendations made by a federal Advisory Council created as part of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act. Read the press release.
Mobilized by the ambitious national goal to effectively treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease by 2025, funding and progress in research have expanded dramatically in the nine years since the first NIH Alzheimer’s Research Summit. The NIA will convene again April 19-22 for the 2021 NIH Alzheimer’s Research Summit: Path to Precision Medicine for Treatment and Prevention. Alzheimer’s Research Summits are key strategic planning meetings that bring together a multi-stakeholder community including government, industry, academia, private foundation, and patient advocacy groups.
Depression and anxiety are linked to earlier onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), new research shows. Investigators found the age of onset of AD is about 2 years earlier among patients with depression and 3 years earlier among those with anxiety vs those without these disorders. In addition, having more than one psychiatric diagnosis pushes the age of AD onset even earlier.
Psychiatric Disorders Linked to Earlier Alzheimer’s Onset (medscape.com)
AFA’s Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness College Scholarship Essay Contest is an annual competition for college-bound high school seniors. Applicants are asked to write a 1,200 to 1,500-word essay that describes the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on themselves, their families or their communities, and what they have learned in light of coping with the brain disorder. The grand prize winner receives $5,000, with additional prizes awarded for runners up. 2021 Essay Submission Deadline Extended to March 1. Alzheimer’s Foundation of America | <AFA’s Teen Scholarship Essay Contest> (alzfdn.org)