The Early Years…. Coping

25 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in ALZ Assn - National, ALZ Assn Central Ohio, Blogging, Caregivers, Caregivers.com, Expectations, Helpful Resources, Mom, Support system, The Early Years

≈ Leave a comment

The earliest years of the journey through Alzheimer’s are filled with fear, denial, frustration, and anger…  They are painful, difficult years… so many questions, so few answers. It’s important to know that you aren’t alone. The wide array of emotions you’re experiencing at this time are completely normal, and now is the time to engage available resources…  for more, check out today’s piece on Caregivers:  The Early Years: How to Cope

HRT & Alzheimer’s: The Latest Research

22 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in Genetic Testing, Research

≈ Leave a comment

labpicMention hormone replacement therapy, and you’ll probably hear many varying opinions. In recent years, it’s been a fairly controversial subject, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.

However, researchers at UCSF and Stanford are studying the effect of estrogen therapy on Alzheimer’s risk, and the findings are very interesting.

The research focuses on carriers of the ApoE4 gene, which has been linked to increased risk of developing ALZ. While it’s much too early for the findings to influence the way doctors are advising patients regarding HRT, it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.

To read more about the study, click –> here.

Spotlight on Dave Morgan, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Researcher

21 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in Advocacy and Awareness, ALZ Assn - National, Facts & Figures, Prevention, Research, Washington

≈ Leave a comment

Did you know:

  • While the death rate from heart disease, prostate cancer, breast cancer, HIV and stroke is declining, the number of Alzheimer’s deaths is rising—increasing 66 percent between 2000 and 2008.
  • Alzheimer’s is the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression.

The Alzheimer’s Association recently spoke to Dr. Dave Morgan, Chief Executive Officer/Director of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer Institute, Distinguished Professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, and Director of Neuroscience Research for the College of Medicine and at the University of South Florida.

On a very encouraging note, Dr. Morgan said, “…my hope is that in the not-too-distant future, if you’re willing to get a PET scan or spinal tap to determine if you’re at risk, you’ll be able to take drugs to delay the onset of the disease and presumably prevent it in your lifetime.”

Additional food for thought:

“The analogy of Alzheimer’s to AIDS is an interesting one: About 20 years ago, AIDS advocates launched a campaign to gain federal funding for research, and it worked. The amount of money put into AIDS research was incredible – about $3 billion to this day, which helped lead to effective treatments for the disease.

On the other hand, Alzheimer’s has received significantly less federal funding than AIDS, yet it affects far more people and costs our nation 10 times as much. We’ve seen from the AIDS example that unevenness in funding can be overcome – and it can’t come too soon.”

To read more from Dr. Morgan, check out the entire article.