Greetings, friends. It’s time for an Alzheimer’s Round Up. As always, thank you so much for reading. Stay tuned for some tips as you prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Until then…
Be Brain Powerful
This past week, the Be Brain Powerful campaign launched in NYC. This WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s campaign aims to bring awareness to women’s brain health and “ignite a cultural transformation in the way we care for our brains.” We talk about taking care of our bodies, but why don’t we talk about taking care of our brains? Be Brain Powerful will be a formidable health and wellness initiative, and Marilyn’s Legacy is proud to be a partner in this movement! If you had to choose one word to explain what brain health means to you, what would it be? Mine would be, independence.
Alzheimer’s Talks – Nov 20
Coming up at 1pm ET on November 20, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s hosts AlzTalks: A Biomarker Test – Now and in the Future. During the call, Scott Lewis, Director of Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnostic Pathway at Biogen, will discuss techniques used today to diagnose Alzheimer’s and what diagnosis might look like in the future. In addition, Melissa Bianchi, an expert in patient protections and partner at law firm, Hogan Lovells, will share thoughts on how families should prepare for receiving biomarker confirmation. The call is free, register by clicking here.
Keep Asking Questions
Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female ever named to the U.S. Supreme Court, recently disclosed she has been diagnosed with dementia, most likely Alzheimer’s disease. O’Connor retired from the Court in 2006 to care for her husband, John, who also had the disease. In his touching article for Psychology Today, Greg O’Brien shares the story of meeting Justice O’Connor in Arizona back in the 1970’s and the mentorship and friendship that ensued. Click here to read Greg’s article.
Exciting Research at West Virginia University
Judy Polak was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014 and is now the only person in the world to undergo a new procedure using ultrasound waves in an attempt to slow the disease. The key is temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier, allowing antibodies from the immune system to pass into the brain and break up the plaques. You can read more about the trial, overseen by Dr. Ali Rezai, Executive Chair of WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, by clicking here.
An 11-Year Old Making a Difference
Hailey Richman is a force to be reckoned with! Her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when Hailey was just four, and that experience sparked her passion for helping others. Noticing there wasn’t much support available for kids, she started Kid Caregivers, a website providing support and encouragement to children affected by the disease. To learn more about how Hailey is using puzzles to help thousands who are living with Alzheimer’s, click here.
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As someone who has been up close and personal with Alzheimer’s disease, I think about the future a lot. If you are caring for or have lost a loved one to AD or another form of dementia, you more than likely know exactly what I’m talking about. What are our odds of being diagnosed at some point in our lives and if that day should come, will there be a treatment or means to slow the progression? As companies like Biogen and Lilly pull the plug on Phase III studies of drugs that once seemed to hold such promise, one has to wonder.