Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Obama administration presents national plan to fight Alzheimer’s disease

Excerpt from HHS.gov: (click for entire article)

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released an ambitious national plan to fight Alzheimer’s disease. The plan was called for in the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), which President Obama signed into law in January 2011. The National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease sets forth five goals, including the development of effective prevention and treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by 2025.

In February 2012, the administration announced that it would take immediate action to implement parts of the plan, including making additional funding available in fiscal year 2012 to support research, provider education and public awareness. Today, the Secretary announced additional specific actions, including the funding of two major clinical trials, jumpstarted by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) infusion of additional FY 2012 funds directed at Alzheimer’s disease; the development of new high-quality, up-to-date training and information for our nation’s clinicians; and a new public education campaign and website to help families and caregivers find the services and support they need.

To help accelerate this urgent work, the President’s proposed FY 2013 budget provides a $100 million increase for efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease. These funds will support additional research ($80 million), improve public awareness of the disease ($4.2 million), support provider education programs ($4.0 million), invest in caregiver support ($10.5 million), and improve data collection ($1.3 million).

Overeating, aging and memory loss

Excerpt from HHS.gov: (click for entire article)

A study indicates overeating may eat into older peoples’ ability to remember. Researcher Yonas Geda of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, saw it in data on more than 1,200 people ages 70 and 89.

Dr. Geda says people who ate more than around 2,200 calories a day had more than twice the risk of mild cognitive impairment, a form of memory loss. But calories of around 1,600 to 2,200 did not show the risk.

Stabenow Receives Annual Alzheimer's Award

Patti's Comments:  Thank you Senator for tackling this important issue for Michigan elders and their families!

Excerpt from Debbie Stabenow: (click for entire article)

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow was recognized by the Alzheimer's Association last night for her work promoting Alzheimer's research and care.  Stabenow received the group's 2012 Humanitarian Award, and is leading the fight in Congress for better diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Senator Stabenow said: "Those who should be recognized are the real heroes who are living with this disease every day - patients, their families and their doctors. I commend the Alzheimer's Association for being a great advocate as we look for a cure and support patients and their caregivers who are dealing with this devastating disease."

Alzheimer's Association President and CEO Harry Johns said: "We applaud Senator Stabenow's continued leadership on Alzheimer's.  By authoring and championing the Health, Outcomes, Planning and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act (S. 738/H.R. 1386), which would improve access to diagnosis and care planning, she demonstrates her sensitivity to the Alzheimer's crisis and much needed support for families."

Jury Awards $34 Million To Alzheimer's Patient After Insurance Company Cuts Off Care

Excerpt from The Consumerist: (click for entire article)

A jury in Montana awarded a monster of a verdict to a 90-year-old woman with Alzheimer's Disease after her insurance company cancelled her long-term care policy because it decided she didn't actually need the level of medical care she was receiving.

According to the Billings Gazette, the woman and her husband purchased the long-term care policy back in 1997. The husband passed away a year later, but she continued to pay the premium.

In 2007, a doctor diagnosed the plaintiff with dementia — subsequently diagnosed as Alzheimer's — and in 2008 she was moved into a nursing home where she could receive the necessary medical attention. At the time, her insurance company had no problem paying out her long-term care benefits.

Does a big belly lead to lower cognitive function?

Excerpt from The Week: (click for entire article)

It's no secret that extra pounds can lead to a slew of health problems. But here's a new issue: A Korean study suggests that as we age, higher body mass may take a toll on our brains, resulting in "lower cognitive function." Here, a brief guide to the research and why now is as good a time as ever to start losing that belly:

How did the study work?
Researchers analyzed 250 adults aged 60 and older to see if there was a link between obesity and cognitive decline. The study administrators calculated participants' body mass indexes (BMIs), used scans, and conducted cognition-based performance tests to determine whether there was indeed a connection.

How Alzheimer’s Has Affected a Former Potential Supreme Court Nominee

Excerpt from ABA Journal: (click for entire article)

Karen Williams was chief judge of a federal appeals court and a potential Supreme Court nominee when her family noticed some changes in her personality.

Williams, who headed the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was at the peak of her career, the Greenville News (sub. req.) reports. When she began repeating herself and forgetting names, her family assumed she was too busy. “We started noticing something wasn’t right,” according to Williams’ husband, Charlie Williams II. “But we couldn’t put our finger on it," he tells the publication.

And then after Williams was involved in two minor car accidents in two weeks, tests revealed devastating news: Williams was in the early stages of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. In 2009, at the age of 58, Williams retired from the bench.

Alzheimer’s Disease Impact On Caregivers, New Survey

Excerpt from Medicalnewser.com: (click for entire article)

According to a new survey, the biggest fear for the majority of family caregivers is their loved one’s general health and physical decline followed by the fear that Alzheimer’s will rob their loved one of the ability to communicate. The survey designed by the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) and Forest Laboratories, Inc. and conducted by the GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications, shows that the progressive inability to properly communicate is more than just a fear, it is a major source of stress, which interferes with the caregivers obligation and ability to function responsibly.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder whereby patients have memory problems that affects their thinking and behavior, which eventually becomes severe enough to impact work, lifelong hobbies, and their social life. In the U.S. every 69 seconds someone develops Alzheimer’s disease and as the baby boomer population continues to age, by 2050, estimates are that someone will develop the disease every 33 seconds. Alzheimer’s is the fifth leading cause of death for people aged 65 years and older and the sixth leading cause of death across all ages in the U.S., Healthcare costs for Alzheimer’s are projected to increase from $183 billion in 2011 to $1.1 trillion by 2050.

Mom's private-care costs shock family into action

Excerpt from Edmonton Journal: (click for entire article)

Everything changed the day Grace Denyer's daughter found her sitting in a dirty diaper, wailing in agony as her own waste seeped into the open, bleeding wounds on her skin.

After pleading with staff to change the diaper, Denyer's daughter and her siblings returned every day to check on their mother. Four days later they again found her soiled and miserable, so they called an ambulance and had her admitted to an Edmonton hospital.

It was Dec. 4, 2011, and it was the final straw. Denyer's six children pledged they would never allow their 80-year-old mother to return to the public long-term care home where she was receiving care for dementia.

What Is Dementia?

Excerpt from About.com: (click for entire article)

Dementia is a leading cause of learning problems in old age.  Dementia is the impairment of brain functioning that can be caused by diseases affecting the brain. Dementia usually occurs in people aged sixty years or older. In fact, the risk for dementia increases as we age. Symptoms of dementia include impaired memory, difficulty with thinking skills, language, poor judgment, and behavioral problems.

The High Price Of Caring For A Loved One With Alzheimer's

Excerpt from NPR: (click for entire article)

As a kid, Joy Johnston was Daddy's little girl.

Her father, Patrick, worked in the trucking trade, took care of his family and loved singing to his daughter.

When Joy got older, she moved to Atlanta for work and her parents retired to New Mexico. When she flew in for a visit in 2008, she noticed her father was changing. He would pay for gas but not fill up the tank. He would ask his wife, Jane, "Where's Jane?"