Happy Father’s Day!
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Navigating Eldercare and Dementia comes out Tuesday, June 22. The book is available at the ACA office or you can preorder on Amazon. There are 101 individual short, true stories–some touching, some funny. Local physician and author, Renee Harmon, contributed a story.
PBS & NPR will release, “Alzheimer’s: What You Can Do,” on Tuesday, June 22nd. The film delves into the research showing the positive effects of social interaction, diet, sleep, physical movement, reducing stress levels, and learning new things. Click the link, June 22nd at 7:00pm CT or any time afterwards. Dementia Documentary Series | VPM
WAM presents, You and Your Brain. Learn from renowned experts as they bring you the latest insights on aging and the brain, navigating a dementia diagnosis, and the future of brain health. Join this virtual series June 22 at 11:00 CT. REGISTER HERE
Maria Shriver and Seth & Lauren Miller Rogen have teamed up to bring you an event you won’t want to miss— Brain It On: 2021, June 24, 10 CT. Join them as they hear from leading Alzheimer’s prevention experts and celebrity advocates during this free 90-minute virtual summit about the best ways to live a brain healthy life. Brain It On: 2021 | THE WOMEN’S ALZHEIMER’S MOVEMENT (thewomensalzheimersmovement.org)
AFTD Volunteer Ron Jackson for a Virtual Meet & Greet for those living in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Connect via Zoom with others in your area whose lives are affected by FTD. Saturday, June 26, noon – 1:30 CT. view the event flyer
Being Patient Webinar: The Link Between Energy Deficiency in the Brain and Alzheimer’s. Learn about the potential link between Alzheimer’s and deficits in the brain’s sources of fuel, and whether the impaired functioning of our metabolism could play a key role in the disease. Reserve your seat: Monday, June 28th at 02:00 PM PT / 05:00 PM ET >>
In-person and zoom Support Groups:
· ACA’s Coffee Talk with Miller & Vance, Tuesday, June 22, 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 starting June 1)-1st Tuesday of each month, 2:00 pm, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Parish Hall. 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, 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.
Alzheimer’s News
The new treatment for people with Alzheimer’s disease — the first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in nearly 20 years — will be available soon in the U.S. But the reception being given to Aduhelm (aducanumab) is mixed. “It’s kind of a leap of faith by the scientific community. Failure of this research was going to dampen the whole research community,” says one researcher.Aduhelm Approval Greeted With Joy, Concern in Alzheimer’s Community (alzheimersnewstoday.com)
Local physician and author, Renee Harmon weighs in on the Aduhelm debate in her recent blogpost.
https://www.reneeharmon.com/2021/06/16/aducanumab-should-we-celebrate-or-castigate/
A high-profile, Washington-based consumer advocacy group is calling for the removal of the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) acting commissioner and two other top officials, saying that the agency’s approval of the Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab (Aduhelm, Biogen) was “reckless.” Watchdog Group Wants FDA Leaders Removed for Okaying Aducanumab (medscape.com)
Read this new white paper, Hear Our Voices: Expectations vs. Experiences Living with Dementia and Agitation, which presents first person experiences and perspectives about living with dementia to help inform the broad and diverse dementia community.
As many as one half of older adults report having poor sleep quality and insomnia. Difficulty falling asleep may be predictive of future cognitive impairment in older adults ― and depressive symptoms and vascular disease may partially drive this association, new research suggests. Trouble Falling Asleep a Modifiable Risk Factor for Dementia? (medscape.com)
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The Michael J. Fox Foundation offers a new resource, Deep Brain Stimulation and Parkinson’s: From Decision-making to Daily Life with the Device. People and families think about deep brain stimulation (DBS) for different reasons and at different times in their Parkinson’s journey. But no matter when or why the topic comes up, there are many common questions: What symptoms does it help? How long might it work? Will it work for me? The booklet provides information and tips for thinking about, having, and living with DBS. And it shares the personal stories of people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones who are using this treatment. (NOTE: the website asks for personal info, you can scroll down and click to open.) |
Menopause changes women’s brains—but many of the changes are temporary, and the brain eventually compensates for some of them, according to new research. The Surprising Good News on How Menopause Changes Your Brain – WSJ
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America offers free daily virtual activities and therapeutic programming for care partners and older adults. www.alzfdn.org.
DailyCaring offers ideas for making Father’s Day special, including great gift ideas.