Tag Archives for Alzheimer’s Association

National Report Grapples with Impending Alzheimer’s Epidemic

Published in the Pawtucket Times, July 25, 2013

.This 56 page report must not sit on a bureaucrat’s dusty shelf.

With the graying of the nation’s population and a skyrocketing incident rate of persons afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, the Chicago-based Alzheimer’s Association and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention release a report last week to address a major public health issue, an impending Alzheimer’s disease epidemic on the horizon.

Researchers say that in 2013, an estimated 5 million Americans age 65 and older have Alzheimer’s disease. Unless more effective ways are identified and implemented to prevent or treat this devastating cognitive disorder the prevalence may triple, skyrocketing to almost 14 million people.  Simply put, Alzheimer’s disease is now the 6th leading cause of death and 5th among those 65 to 85 years of age.

A Call to Arms

A July 15, 2013, CDC, the federal agency charged with protecting public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability, and the Alzheimer’s Association, the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research, unveiled The Healthy Brain Initiative: The Public Health Road Map for State and National Partnerships, 2013-2018 at the 2013 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Boston.

The released report calls for public health officials to quickly act to stem the growing Alzheimer’s crisis and is a follow-up to the 2007 The Healthy Brain Initiative: a National Public Health Road Map to Maintaining Cognitive Health.

“The public health community is now paying greater attention to the Alzheimer’s epidemic that millions of families have been facing for decades and that is poised to drastically increase,” said Robert Egged, Vice President of Public Policy at the Alzheimer’s Association. “On the heels of the 2012 release of the country’s first-ever National Alzheimer’s Plan, the Alzheimer’s Association and CDC have partnered again to create a tool for public health officials to improve the quality of life for those families and advance cognitive health as a integral component of public health,” says Egged.

Released five years ago, the original Road Map addressed cognitive health and functioning from a public health perspective and provided a framework for the public health community to engage cognitive health, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. More than 280 experts in the field contributed to this new Road Map report that outlines specific actions steps that state and local public health officials can take to promote cognitive functioning, address cognitive impairment for individuals living in the community and help meet the needs of caregivers.

While federal agencies play a critical role in leading and funding efforts to address Alzheimer’s disease, state and local health departments organize and provide public health services at the community level.

“The goal of the Healthy Brain Initiative is to enhance understanding of the public health burden of cognitive impairment, help build evidence-based communications and programs, and translate that foundation into effective public health practices in states and communities. This Road Map provides guidance to states, communities, and national partners to plan for and respond to this major public health issue,” said Lynda Anderson, PhD, Director of the Healthy Aging Program at CDC.

A former Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Administration on Aging, Bill Benson, now a managing partner of Silver Spring, Maryland-based, Health Benefits ABC, notes that the cost of providing care to people with Alzheimer’s disease will have a drastic impact on the nation’s economy due to the cost of lost productivity, and the care costs for those no longer able to care from themselves. “This does not include the profound personal impact and consequences to those who suffer from Alzheimer’s and to their loved ones,” he says.

“The scope, cost and the extraordinary burden both to individuals and to society make it a true health crisis,” says Benson, stressing that public health officials need to know more about the disease and those who have it, better ways to diagnosis it.  There must also be a better understanding of the economic impact and programs and services that are proven to ease the burden of those who suffer from it and their caregivers, he adds.

Action Steps for Local Communities to Follow

The Road Map report includes more than 30 action steps that the public health community can take at the federal, state and local levels over the next five years to address cognitive health and cognitive impairment from a public health perspective. The actions are intended as a guide for what state and local public health officials could do – on their own or with other national, state and local partners. Agencies are encouraged to select those actions that best fit state and local needs and customize them to match priorities, capabilities and resources.

As to specifics, the Road Map report calls for improved monitoring and evaluation of persons with dementia including Alzheimer’s disease and younger onset as they relate to employment and employers, and defining the needs of these individuals and their caregivers.  Also, increased support should be given to state and local needs assessments to identify racial/ethnic; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; socioeconomic; and geographic disparities related to cognitive health and impairment.

Public health officials must educate and empower the nation in confronting the epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease by promoting advance care planning and financial planning to care partners, families, and individuals with dementia in the early stages before function declines.  They can and promote early diagnosis.

The Road Map report urges that sound public health policies be developed and partnerships created to collaborate in the development, implementation, and maintenance of state Alzheimer’s disease plans. It also recommends that state and local government integrate cognitive health and impairment into state and local government plans (e.g. aging, coordinated chronic disease, preparedness, falls, and transportation plans).

Finally, the Road Map report also recommends that strategies be developed to help ensure that state public health departments have expertise in cognitive health and impairment related to research and best practices.  Support must also be provided to continuing education efforts that improve healthcare providers’ ability to recognize early signs of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, and to offer counseling to individuals and their care partners.

A Local View

Maureen Maigret, policy consultant for the Senior Agenda Coalition of RI coordinator of the Rhode Island Older Women’s Policy Group, agrees with the assessment of theRoad Map report, especially with the Ocean State having the “highest percent of persons age 85 and over in the 2010 Census and this is the population that is growing fast and most likely to have dementia.”

Maigret notes the economic impact will have significant impact across our economy for the state budget and for individual families. “It is imperative for our public officials to promote programs to identify those with early cognitive problems and implement policies to strengthen community and caregiver supports that will help persons to safely remain in home and community settings as long as possible, she says.

The Rhode Island General Assembly passed legislation this year that requires caregiver assessments in the state Medicaid long term care system.  “It’s a good first step in helping caregivers. But we must do so much more to inform the public about available resources, to adequately fund assistance programs such as RIde, Meals on Wheels and respite services and to promote cognitive screening as part of annual wellness visits funded by Medicare,” she says.

“Having a clear active mind at any age is important but as we get older it can mean the difference between dependence and independent living,” says Executive Director, Donna McGowan, of the Alzheimer’s Association-Rhode Island Chapter. “We are excited that the CDC has partnered again with the Alzheimer’s Association to create a tool for public health officials to improve the quality of life for those families afflicted by the disease,” she says.

For more information on The Healthy Brain Initiative: The Public Health Road Map for State and National Partnerships, 2013-2018, visit alz.org/publichealth. For more information on Alzheimer’s disease and the Alzheimer’s Association, call 1-800-272-3900 or visit alz.org®.

 

Deciphering the Effectiveness of Alzheimer’s Research Findings

Published July 6, 2012, Pawtucket Times 

          Over a decade my mother was afflicted with the devastating medical disorder, Alzheimer’s Disease. Over the years with this affliction her physician would keep our family updated on the effectiveness of pharmaceutical research on medications that could put the breaks on this devastating disorder, one that would ultimately erase her short and long-term memory, making her husband of sixty years, and adult children virtual strangers to her.

            My family like hundreds of thousands of baby boomers and seniors sought out information from local newspapers, senior publications, national magazines, like Time or Newsweek, to unravel the medical mysteries of Alzheimer’s Disease.  Occasionally, I, like many shoppers at the local grocery store would sneak a peek, reading the National Enquirer while waiting in line looking for a little bit more information on new effective treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Alzheimer’s Disease

            Oftentimes it becomes very confusing for caregivers to determine which profiled treatments are promising ones and which ones are not, due to the diversity of opinions in the research community.  Some articles might detail the effectiveness of taking Vitamin E; while others stress the effectiveness of Gingko, noting how it just might improve your memory.  Others might describe studies that indicate that estrogen replacement therapy is not really an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease for some women.  Or some might even issue a warning to the reader to “not eat off of aluminum plates” because some research findings seem to indicate that an accumulation of heavy metals, such as aluminum, in the brain might cause the devastating disorder of Alzheimer’s.

            Years ago I provided the following helpful tips to readers of my column that might just unravel the mysteries of reported research findings in Alzheimer’s research that are reported by the nation’s media.  These tips are just as true eleven years later.

            Always beware of glitzy headlines. Time limitations keep people from reading every word in articles that appear in their daily, weekly or monthly newspapers.  As a result, may readers just choose to quickly scan the headlines for their information.  Don’t judge an article by its cute headline.  The content of an article is much more balanced than the headline that is composed of catchy words, crafted to draw the reader in.

            Look for authoritative commentary.  You can consider an article to be more credible when it provides multiple quotes on the indications of an Alzheimer’s treatment.  Consider the report to have done a good job if there is an authoritative expert commentary of the significance of the study.  Two likely sources might come from staffers employed by either the National Alzheimer’s Association or the National Institute of health, a major federal government agency that fund’s Alzheimer’s research studies.  One might consider the National Alzheimer’s Association point of view to be less biased and a more reliable opinion than those researchers who have ties to a pharmaceutical company that issued the press release.

            Determine if there are disputes in research findings.  Keep in mind that even if a research study is reported there might be those persons who believe that the study is not well designed or has major research flaws.   On the other hand, the study might just be accepted by the scientific community as a solid study.  However, there might still be serious disagreements about how to interpret the results or how to classify it.  Some researchers might consider it a major study while others would not.  A well-researched article will include the quotes of those who oppose the study.

Seeking out Reliable Expert Sources

            Are you still confused by how to cull articles for tips to learn about safe and effective treatments for Alzheimer’s?  Where do we go from here?  Caregivers should view any article written about new Alzheimer’s treatments as informational in nature.  The article can open the door to the nation’s research community and it now becomes your responsibility to do your homework by seeking out more details about what the research findings indicate.

            If the article describes the results of an actual published research study, obtain the scientific journal with the published study at your local library or search for it on the Internet.   When found carefully read it.  If the findings are reported from a presentation at a conference attempt to track down the researchers for more information.  Finally cruise the Internet and check out the official Websites of the Alzheimer’s Association or the National Institute on Aging, to determine if you can locate more information about a reported new treatment.

            Finally, don’t hesitate to call Donna McGowan, Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association – Rhode Island Chapter at 401 421-0008 or email, Donna.McGowan@alz.org, to solicit the organization’s comments on research findings reported by the media. Remember Federal agencies, along with national and state Alzheimer’s organizations monitor research studies and their implications for treatment.

              Herb Weiss is a Pawtucket-based freelance writer who covers aging, health care and medical issues.  His Commentaries are published in two Rhode Island daily’s The Pawtucket Times and Woonsocket Call.

The Best Of…Keeping Tabs on Your Wandering Parent

Published August 20, 2008, All Pawtucket All The Time          

           With the graying of Rhode Island’s population, a growing number of aging baby boomers are now taking care of their elderly parents who reside in their homes.  Adult children are often juggling professional careers and family responsibilities while spending countless of hours each week making sure their elderly parents needs are taken care of such as getting them to doctor’s appointments, taking them grocery shopping, assisting in house hold chores, or bringing them to family events.

            In recent months this writer discovered several close friends are dealing with parents facing these very issues – perhaps compounded with early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s.  Often times the grown children suffer in silence – balancing the daily burdens of their own lives – while steadfastly tending to their parents care and needs, a very time consuming task especially if the older parent is frail or becomes confused and wandering.                                                                                                                                                                                

 Wandering a Common Occurrence

            This “care giving” life-stage experience is not uncommon, especially with approximately 25,000 Rhode Islanders who are afflicted with Alzheimer’s.  According to Elizabeth Morancy, President of the Alzheimer’s Association, Rhode Island Chapter, about 70% of people with dementia reside at home in the community    She estimates that six out of 10 people with Alzheimer’s will “wander” to some degree.

            Morancy notes that “wandering” occurs when a person with dementia becomes missing – where an individual becomes lost after leaving their home.  The restless individual may actually leave having a purpose or goal in mind, maybe he or she might search for an item that was lost, look for a child, or try to fulfill a former job responsibility.

            “Even situations that seem harmless to us can become dangerous, even fatal to the Alzheimer’s person,” Morancy notes.  Because a confused person does not panic not realizing their dangerous predicament of walking onto a highway or into woods, a very dangerous even a very life threatening, situation occurs, she says.

The ABCs of Reducing Wandering

            According to Morancy, wandering can be reduced by following a few tips. Movement and exercise can reduce behavior, agitation and restlessness (causes for this negative behavior).  Make sure that all basic needs, such as toileting, nutrition and thirst, are met.  Involve the person with dementia in performing daily activities like folding laundry or making dinner.  Color-matching cloth over door knobs can effectively camouflage the hardware. A black rectangle on the floor placed inside the door way can become a visual barrier, keeping the wanderer inside.  By placing a mirror near a doorway, a reflection of the person’s face will often keep the individual from opening the door and leaving the house.   

             Even simple actions like rigging an alarm by hanging tin cans from a door with string or using door locks the confused person can not operate work effectively, too, Morancy says.

             Morancy adds that one of the most effective ways of reducing wandering is to register the person with Alzheimer’s or dementia in Alzheimer’s Association’s MedicAlert + Safe Return Program.  It operates through local police departments and other emergency responder agencies working with Alzheimer’s Association chapters across the country.  The government-funded initiative has a national information and photo database.  It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a toll free crisis line. .        

            Once registered, when a person with dementia wanders or becomes lost, a phone call immediately activates a community support network that works together to reunite the lost person with their caregivers.  Once the wandering individual is found, an identification product on the wanderer provides law officials with information to contact the caregiver.  The nearest Alzheimer’s Association office provides support during the rescue efforts.  Medical information is immediately available if needed.

             MedicAlert + Safe Return Program needs to be tweaked, say Morancy.  “The initiative is not yet pro-active. Although the registration helps identify the person who wears an identity bracelets or necklace or carries wallet identity card (noting an 800 toll free number) because the identity information enables caregivers to ultimately be contacted, this is just after the fact,” she says. “There is no universal system that will track down persons while they are lost.

             However, in other states, Project Lifesaver, administered by the local sheriff departments, utilizes a tracking mechanism.  However, its high cost decreases its use throughout the nation. .

             Initiatives like MedicAlert + Safe Return and Project Lifesaver have been instrumental in returning wanders to the safe home environments.  These programs are crucial to aging baby boomers who work hard to successfully keep their confused parent at home rather than to institutionalize them. The incidence of physical harm and death increases if a person is not found within a 24 hour period.

             Care giving can be a stressful chore.  Programs like MedicAlert + Safe Return can make it just a little easier.  For more information about this Program, call 800 272-3900.

             Herb Weiss is a Pawtucket-based freelance writer covering aging, medical and health care issues. The article was published in the August 20, 2008 issue of All Pawtucket All the Time.  He can be reached at hweissri@aol.com.