Alzheimer’s in Alabama: Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama’s annual conference, Friday, October 18, Canterbury United Methodist Church, 8:30 – 3. Conference highlights include:
- Brian LeBlanc was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 and is living with vascular dementia. Brian realized that we seldom hear from people living with dementia and he knew he HAD to talk about it. His story, I Am Still ME!, provides a rare window into the journey of a “regular guy” from a “regular life” who is living with a progressive, disabling, degenerative brain disease.
- Jamie Tyrone learned of her 91 percent lifetime genetic risk of succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease. Only two percent of the population has this genetic status which motivated her to become a research volunteer and a dedicated advocate. Her personal experience of living with this genetic status has been a feature story in the New York Times and cover story in the Washington Post. Her bookFighting For My Life—How to Thrive in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s was released by HarperCollins May, 2019.
The cost to attend is $15 or $35 for those needing CEUs. Presenting Sponsor: Medical Properties Trust. To see full conference agenda and to register: https://alzca.org/conference/
Free, confidential memory screening, October 23, 9 – 2, Cooper Green Mercy Health Services, 1515 6th Avenue South. Sponsored by the Jefferson County Community Services & Workforce Development Senior Services Division. Call Dedra Lewis, 205-325-5567.
Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama Lunch and Learn, Tuesday, October 29, Navigating Grief, Especially During the Holidays, with Matthew Bunt, M.Ed., LPC-S, Outreach Coordinator, at The Amelia Center, Brookdale University Park, Gazebo Room, 11:30 – 1 pm. Presented by Medical Properties Trust. Brookdale University Park. Lunch is free but reservations are required, mpiggott@alzca.org.
Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama’s Walking to Remember, Saturday, November 2, inside the Riverchase Galleria, 8 am. Join with family and friends to Shine a Light on Alzheimer’s at this fun 3 mile indoor walk (or a distance that suits you). Walk in honor of memory of your loved one. Walkers raising a minimum of $50 receive a t-shirt. https://alzca.org/walking/ for more info.
Chile Cook Off benefiting Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama, Friday, November 8, 11 – 1. See attached flyer. www.kirkwoodbytheriver.com or (205) 956-2184.
Statewide Day of Prayer and Remembrance, Sunday, November 10.
Homewood Cumberland Presbyterian Church will host the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel for Sunday school and worship on Sunday, November 10, in honor of the Day of Prayer. Perhaps we can best learn about Alzheimer’s from someone living with the diagnosis. Click to read Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel’s essay, “A Green Pentecost: On Pastoring with Alzheimer’s,”
https://collegevilleinstitute.org/bearings/a-green-pentecost-on-pastoring-with-alzheimers/
Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama Annual Meeting and Candle Lighting Service, Thursday, November 14, Vestavia Hill Library, 6 – 7:30. Daniel C. Potts, MD, FAAN, will explore lessons he learned through his care partnership with his late father, Lester that transformed his life and medical practice. A Tuscaloosa neurologist and former ACA board member, Dr. Potts practices neurology at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center. Along with his wife, Ellen W. Potts, MBA, he authored A Pocket Guide for the Alzheimer’s Caregiver. Join us to hear, “Souls Shine Forth: Sharing the Light Of Personhood Through Relationships In Dementia Care”.
Virtual Dementia Tour, November 15, 9 – 2. Cooper Green Mercy Health Services, 1515 6th Avenue South. Sponsored by the Jefferson County Community Services & Workforce Development Senior Services Division. Call Dedra Lewis, 205-325-5567.
Living Well with Dementia, workshop with Dr. Al Power who wrote Dementia Beyond Drugs and Dementia Beyond Disease, Tuesday, November 19, at Canterbury United Methodist Church, 9 – noon. Contact Valerie Boyd at (205) 874-1523 or valerie.boyd@canternuryumc.org.
News to know:
An October 10, 2019 Orlando Sentinel commentary, by surgeons general Drs. Richard Carmona, Joycelyn Elders, Antonia Novello and David Satcher, labeled Alzheimer’s disease an unprecedented, tragic, societal crisis, and highlighted its disproportionate impact on communities of color. According to the commentary, “A recent Lancet Commission study noted, remarkably, that “around 35% of dementia is attributable to a combination of the following nine risk factors: education to a maximum age of 11-12 years, midlife hypertension, midlife obesity, hearing loss, late-life depression, diabetes, physical inactivity, smoking, and social isolation.
A recent paper, from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and the Brain Health Partnership, outlines immediate steps to create a culture of brain health. Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Just a half hour of aerobic exercise four to five times a week may slow cognitive decline in older adults who are at a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s. [READ MORE]
Experts explain why exercise is the single best thing you can do for the health of your brain? READ MORE
Congratulations to M4A! They have been awarded a 3 year grant as part of theAlzheimer’s Disease Programs Initiative (ADPI) 2019 Awards. A total of 12 grants received funding. The ADPI program programs are engaging in a range of activities designed to meet the needs of persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) as well as paid and unpaid caregivers. While each program is different, all include activities designed to support special populations, including low-income and minority communities, people with ADRD who live alone, and individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities at risk of developing a dementia.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded a $53.4 million grant to researchers with the goal of improving institutional care for people living with dementia
Get the facts here
A new study reveals that by tweaking memory tests a bit, more women might be diagnosed at an early stage of the disease, when they can benefit from treatment.[READ MORE]
An October 4, 2019 Science Magazine article looked at the results of a fresh infusion of funding into new avenues of Alzheimer’s disease research, after the repeated, high profile failures of the recent past.
An October 7, 2019 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s release addressed the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s (USPSTF) recent draft recommendation stating there is “insufficient” evidence that doctors should conduct cognitive screening for older adults. Many groups, including UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, are calling on the task force to revise its recommendation and encourage health care providers to screen for cognitive impairment. “This draft recommendation would make it almost impossible to meet the nation’s goal to prevent or effectively treat Alzheimer’s by 2025. The task force’s position on cognitive impairment screening would slow progress toward earlier diagnosis of dementia, improved care and services, and better outcomes for people with dementia and their families,” said UsA2 Co-Founder George Vradenburg.
Click here to read the latest issue of Partners in FTD Care. Lots of good information about medications and management. https://www.theaftd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/PinFTDcare_Newsletter_Fall_2019.pdf
The A-List has just launched a new survey on brain health to help researchers and doctors understand what we know and expect. The A-List is an UsAgainstAlzheimer’s initiative that empowers patients and families to transform Alzheimer’s research through online surveys. It is a first-of-its-kind online community of Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers that is approved by an Institutional Review Board to give results credibility, and all data is stored in a private, HIPAA-compliant database.
It also means that when you click the link to take the survey, the page it takes you to will be a consent form with a lot of language about the importance of consenting to participate in this research study. This consent form – and your reading of it – will take a little longer than the typical survey that we send you. Taking the extra few minutes to read through the form and sign on will help give the results of this survey the credibility to ensure your voice is heard by people working on Alzheimer’s cures.
Asbury United Methodist Church is opening Anchor, a community respite ministry October 1. The program will provide fellowship and stimulation for people who have memory loss due to Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s or stroke. 6690 Cahaba Valley Road. Gina McIntyre is the program director. 205-529-63534. www.asburyonline.org/anchor.
In Touch is a new adult day care center in Alexander City. Housed in a historic home, the program is a welcoming place to be. 1055 Cherokee Road, Alexander City. Andrea Rashad is the program director, 265-392-3445.
For a complete list of respite and adult day care programs in central Alabama go towww.alzca.org
Did you know? Planet Fundraiser is an app that lets you give back to non-profits, schools, and groups simply by taking a picture of receipts from merchants you already shop at. You shop and participating merchants donate to the charity of your choice. To date almost $1600 has been donated to ACA.
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