Souper Fundraiser for the South Highland Center! 4 delicious soups to choose from: Squash Bisque, Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Gouda, Roasted Poblano and White Cheddar and White Chicken Chili. $15 for a frozen quart. Add a small chocolate lava cake for $5. Orders must be placed by Monday, February 8. Pick-up will be in the circular drive of South Highland Presbyterian Church, Thursday, February 11 from 3:30-5:30. awalker@southhighland.org
Upcoming Webinars:
- Grief in a Pandemic: Practical Tips for Caring for the Bereaved webinar, Tuesday, February 9 at 11:30 am CT. Grief and loss can be especially hard during times of uncertainty, anxiety, and isolation. Registration (gotowebinar.com)
- Exploring Male Caregiving for People Living with Dementia (National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center, February 9, at 1:00 pm CT)
- Alzheimer’s–Legal Issues Facing Families (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, February 11, 2021 at noon CT)
- Aging Through Traumatic Stress: Analyzing the Effects of Stress and Race on Alzheimer’s Disease (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, February 17, 4:40 ET)
- Brain-Behavior Connections in Frontotemporal Degeneration, (AFTD, February 17, 3:00 CT secure your spot today!)
- Complex Care Management for People Living with Dementia (National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center, March 11, 2021 at 1:00 CT)
- 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, February 9, 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:
There is a slim chance, adcanumab might win FDA approval as the first new treatment for Alzheimer’s in 18 years. The agency’s panel of outside experts has already rejected the evidence for aducanumab. Under normal circumstances, that would have been the end of the pharmaceutical company’s hopes. But the FDA didn’t say no to aducanumab, but delayed the decision whether to approve for 3 months. https://www.barrons.com/articles/biogens-big-bet-on-its-alzheimers-drug-what-happens-to-the-biotechs-stock-51612526499
2 interesting articles from Being Patient:
- Brain fog – a collection of neurological symptoms that afflicts many virus sufferers both during and after infection. Read what scientists know about brain fog and active steps you can take to prevent it
- Skeptics may have an extra reason to reconsider the upshots of vaccines: Two recent studies showed that flu and pneumonia vaccines reduced people’s risk of Alzheimer’s by as much as 30 percent. Read how vaccines relate to the overall hypothesis on Alzheimer’s cure and prevention.
Listen to or watch this Capitol Hill briefing for policymakers, advocates, and the general public to hear Laura Gitlin, Dr. Lisa Barnes, and actress and advocate Mandy Moore speak about the possibility of prevention and the importance of lifestyle and behavior modifications to increase brain health across the lifespan.
Read The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement 2020 Impact Report:
WAM-Impact-Report-2020-Final-1.pdf (thewomensalzheimersmovement.org)
The aging of the U.S. population and the simultaneous rise in the number of older adults living with dementia underscore the urgent need for a systematic review of the available evidence for care interventions for people living with dementia and their caregivers. The National Institute on Aging commissioned a review from the Evidence-based Practice Center Program at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to understand the evidence base for effective care interventions, and to assess the potential for broad dissemination and implementation of that evidence.
Read results from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with dementia. The Pulse includes both data and personal reflections from members and advocates.
CJFS is offering one-on-one caregiver support at no charge for family caregivers who are experiencing additional stress due to the pandemic. Contact Pam Leonard at pam@cjfsbham.org or 205-879-3438
The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s (AFA) Medical, Scientific and Memory Screening Advisory Board is urging all individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and their family caregivers to get the COVID-19 vaccination as soon as they are able to do so. Individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease are often older and at higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19, and family caregivers cannot provide proper care to their loved one if their own health is compromised. Alzheimer’s Foundation of America | COVID-19 Vaccination Urged for Individuals Living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Family Caregivers (alzfdn.org)
The Pickering Lab in the UAB School of Nursing is recruiting family caregivers for a National Institutes of Health Study. The purpose of the study is to learn more about the day-to-day experiences of dementia caregivers, including how often certain behaviors may happen, situations which you may find stressful and how often good things happen. It is non-invasive and participants simply document their experiences. Responses are confidential. Participants are paid. https://t.co/Fmh3dz912l?amp=1
Check out AFA’s Teal Room (www.alzfdn.org/afatealroom) for free daily offerings of virtual therapeutic and activity programs, including music, art, dance/movement, chair yoga and virtual field trips.
The Dementia Action Alliance will be offering live engagement programs starting February 1st. A full schedule of programs and simple sign-up process will be posted on DAA’s website starting Monday, January 25th. Participants living with dementia really can enjoy offerings, such as Poetry Club, Guided Meditation, Whimsical Art, and Sports Club, as well as the opportunity to connect with others.
Placemats needed for “fidget blankets”. Volunteers from Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church have made hundreds of fidget blankets out of discarded placemats. All kinds of trinkets, fabric, zippers, etc. are sewn on the placemats giving them interesting textures. The blankets are used by family caregivers to help with agitation and boredom and have been distributed to many on ACA’s service programs. If you have any placemats that could be recycled for this purpose, please contact Miller Piggott, mpiggott@alzca.org.
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: Monday, February 15, 2021. Alzheimer’s Foundation of America | <AFA’s Teen Scholarship Essay Contest> (alzfdn.org)