Have a safe and happy July 4th!
Dorothy McDaniel’s Flower Market has selected ACA as their Charity in Bloom for July. Visit their website scroll down to Charity in Bloom for details on the bouquet they will create for ACA during July. 20% of the proceeds will benefit ACA’s Pre-Doctoral Scholars Program in Alzheimer’s disease at UAB. www.dorothymcdaniel.com
Must Have Legal Document as You Age, Lunch and Learn at Dawson, July 15, 11:30 – 12:30, with Lynn Campisi, P.C. Reservations required, Contact Debbie Moss, 205-871-7324 or dmoss@dawsonchurch.org.
Little Professor bookstore in Homewood is hosting Renee Harmon and ACA for a Q & A session about dementia, Sunday, July 18, 2:00-4:00. Renee is a local physician and author of Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer. She also has a story in the newly released Chicken Soup for the Soul: Navigating Eldercare and Dementia. Copies will be available for purchase, with proceeds going to ACA.
ACA’s Jr. Board will host Glow for a Cure, a nighttime golf tournament, Friday, July 30, at Highland Park Golf Course. There are a few spots left for teams or you can be a Hole Sponsor (contact vholder@alzca.org). Spectator tickets are $25 and include Taco Mama dinner, auction, and entertainment from the Maxx Groove band. All proceeds benefit ACA’s Pre-Doctoral Scholars Program in Alzheimer’s disease at UAB. See attached flyer.
In-person and zoom Support Groups:
- ACA’s Coffee Talk with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, July 6, 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 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
- Pell City, (in person)-1st Tuesday of each month, 11:00 am, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Parish Hall, Cropwell. Contact Bit Thomaston, Ethomaston50@gmail.com
- West Alabama Area Agency on Aging, Caregiver Support Group, Tuesdays, contact Nikki Poe, nikki.poe@westal.org.
- CJFS CARES, Tuesdays, 7:00 pm, contact Pam Leonard, pam@cjfsbham.org.
- Leeds, (in person) 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm, St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, 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.
Alzheimer’s News:
We now have plenty of options for challenging activities that are helpful for people with memory loss. Multiple studies support the benefits of games, puzzles, trivia, and other such fun ways to remain mentally active. Cognitive resilience and increased self-worth are two examples of what these activities can provide. Read more from Brookdale National Group Respite Program Respite Reporter: Find suggestions, ideas, and a new publication that is rich with brain boosting activities.
Being Patient had the opportunity to speak with author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova, who is best known for her book “Still Alice”. She has recently published “Remember,” a book that details how our memory works and what is considered normal forgetfulness. Lisa explains everything from how attention is a key factor for memory to how we can all improve our memories.
FDA Speeds Up Process for Two More Experimental Alzheimer’s Drugs. This week, on the heels of Aduhelm’s FDA approval, the agency granted breakthrough status to two more prospective new Alzheimer’s treatments, Eli Lilly & Co.’s donanemab and Biogen and Eisai’s lecanemab, speeding up their consideration for approval.
Learn more >>
Maria Shriver and Seth & Lauren Miller Rogen teamed up to present Brain It On. Check out the replay and hear from leading Alzheimer’s prevention experts and celebrity advocates.
Local advocates, Lynda Everman and Don Wendorf, share an updated flyer on creating dementia friendly faith communities:https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/faith_one_pager_11.14.19.pdf. This is a condensation of several chapters from their book, Dementia-Friendly Worship: A Multifaith Handbook for Chaplains, Clergy and Faith Communities, and is intended to spark ideas and dialogue on how each of us and our congregations can be more welcoming and supportive.
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (UsA2) A-LIST® is an online community of 8,600 individuals who, once or twice each month, respond to a short, anonymous survey to share and validate their experience of living with dementia and/or caring for a loved one with dementia.In turn, UsA2 shares the results of these surveys with policymakers, researchers, health care providers, drug developers, insurers and others serving this community. This Pulse of the Community Issue Brief summarizes four recent A-LIST® research projects and the action taken related to each study: https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/A-LIST%20Pulse%20of%20the%20Community_Summer%202021.pdf
Thank you for using the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Semipostal Stamp in your mailings! As of the end of May, more than $1.1M has been raised for critical dementia research. By law, 100 percent of the net amount raised is transferred to the National Institutes of Health to support research and medical discoveries in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. As importantly, the use of the Alzheimer’s stamp is a small yet powerful way to raise public awareness, honor the memory of those whom we’ve lost to this cruel disease and signal support to families now facing the challenges of neurodegenerative diseases.
Common infections, especially those requiring hospitalization, were associated with an increased risk of dementia in adults aged ≥65 years. Common Infections Tied to an Increased Risk of Dementia (medscape.com)
Elderwise, an adult day program in Seattle, advocates Spirit-Centered Care, the concept that all people are whole—and that the diagnosis of dementia does not change that fact. The fundamental principle of this compassionate approach is: People with dementia are more than their bodies and more than their brains. The core or essence of who they are remains whole, always. And, with support, a person can continue to develop the heart-sense qualities of kindness, joy, and love. Learn more from Sandy Sabersky & Ruth Neuwald Falcon, authors of The Elderwise Way. Read about the Elderwise Way, which is based on humanity and dignity.
In honor of Brain Health Awareness Month, Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement is excited to present The Women’s Brain Health Project. Their new 7-part video series is a comprehensive look at a woman’s life–not through the development of her reproductive organs, but through the powerful and mysterious dance taking place in her brain. It’s riveting, accessible, fun, and based on the hard science and research of many of the WAM Scientific Council members and advisors.
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America offers free daily virtual activities and therapeutic programming for care partners and older adults. www.alzfdn.org.