Tag Archives for Alzheimer’s Disease

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.

Agency Offers Hope

Published in Senior Digest on November 2006

According to the Alzheimer’s Association Rhode Island Chapter (AARIC), it is estimated that 25,000 Ocean State residents are afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. When you combine 100,000 caregivers with that number you have a devastating disorder that touches many people.

Don’t expect the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease to decrease any time soon, warns Liz Morancy, AARIC’s executive director. “Getting older is the biggest risk factor, and we are an aging state in an aging nation,” she says.  “The course of the disease varies from person to person, as does the rate of decline.”

“The costs to society are enormous, too, costing the health care system and business well over $32 billion,” Morancy notes. The federal government and states will be hit hard by the rising costs when they struggle to provide assistance and services to an increasing number of people with Alzheimer’s disease, she predicts.

Not every episode of forgetfulness is the advent of Alzheimer’s disease, Morancy notes, saying that it is common to forget words or information, especially when you have multiple responsibilities; you’re under stress, feeling fatigued or are distracted. She quickly rattles off many of the early symptoms: constant forgetfulness; lack of awareness that you have forgotten something; forgetting recently learned information; and memory loss that interferes with your daily life. One’s ability to use numbers and drastic personality changes can also be associated with this mental disorder.

Caregivers work a “36-hour day” taking care of their afflicted loved ones with Alzheimer’s adds Morancy. “A caregiver in Rhode Island traditionally has been a woman who is the wife, daughter or daughter-in-law of the patient. If she is the daughter, the majority of the time she is also taking care of young children. As the caregiver ages, she must cope with her own physical health problems, too,” Morancy said.

However, today “we have noticed an increasing number of men taking on the caregiver role and responsibility,” Morancy says. “A husband may take care of his wife without the assistance of children who live far away.”

There are only a few “modest drugs” that can slow the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, according to Morancy. She hopes that more effective treatments will become available in the next few years. In order to keep loved ones with Alzheimer’s independent and in their homes for as long as possible, caregivers need the support services from home care and adult day care programs.

For caregivers and their families, the Rhode Island Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has become a beacon of hope and a valuable resource in surviving the stresses of caregiving, Morancy says.

Established 17 years ago, the organization started off as an all-volunteer agency with a $50,000 budget. Today the nonprofit agency has eight staff members and a budget of $700,000 with hundreds of volunteers working in a variety of capacities, according to Morancy, who has led the chapter for more than 15 years.

With the 14th Annual Memory Walk, sponsored by AARIC last month, public awareness of this devastating disorder was ratcheted up a little higher, Morancy says. The group’s family support and education activities will be bolstered by the $ 250,000 raised by more than 1,300 supporters who walked the three-mile course in Providence and Newport.

“Our Memory Walk is a key funding source for us,” admitted Morancy. “Oftentimes, major private foundations do not recognize the reality of the increasing number of elderly, and they do not fund programs addressing their needs adequately. Sadly, children advocates are pitted against those working on behalf of seniors,” she says.

Morancy says AARIC offers caregiver and family assisted at 18 affiliated support groups that regularly meet throughout the Ocean State. The chapter also provides a help line and care consultation, education and training programs geared to both health care professionals and caregivers.

Additionally caregivers can obtain pamphlets, books, and videos through the chapter and participate in a safe return program that helps to locate persons with Alzheimer’s who wander away from home.  There are few people in Rhode Island whose lives have not been touched by the Alzheimer’s disease, and there are many lives that have been touched through the programs and services of AARIC.

Walkers Fight Alzheimer’s One Step at a Time

Published in the Pawtucket Times on September 22, 2003

Next Sunday, 87-year-old Ray Bonenfant continues his fight against the devastating Alzheimer’s Disease.

The Greenville resident and more than 1,000 participants are expected to walk three miles to raise money and public awareness regarding Alzheimer’s Disease during the Alzheimer Association’s 2003 Memory Walk in Providence, Newport, and Westerly.

Taking part in the Sept. 28 charitable event- the nonprofit group’s largest of the year – is just a continuation of Bonenfant’s personal fight against the ravages of Alzheimer’s, a disease that afflicts his wife and 25,000 Ocean State seniors. It is projected that in the next decade, 29,000 Rhode Islanders will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Bonenfant, a former controller at a New Hampshire company, began participating in the Alzheimer’s Associations annual fundraiser eight years ago, shorting after his wife, Eugenie, was admitted to an Alzheimer’s unit at the Village of Waterman Lake.

Participating in this fundraiser was one way he could personally improve the quality of life of caregivers and enhance the care and support services for families of Alzheimer’s patients.

Local news coverage of the impending 1993 Memory Walk caught Bonenfant’s attention and he joined hundreds of Rhode Islanders who came together with the goal of raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Association Rhode Island Chapter.

At this event, he signed up 30 of his family members and friends to participate in the three-mile walk, raising almost $ 700.

For the last eight walks, Bonenfant, who serves as a board member and treasurer of the Providence-based nonprofit group, has been one of the top individual fundraisers. “Walking to raise money gives me a lot of satisfaction,” he said, admitting that he also enjoys the competition of raising money.

Bonenfant also looks at participating in another way. “It is a good family day,” he added.

Last year, Bonenfant and 14 family members and friends raised a whopping $9,000. This year, he expects to ratchet this sizeable amount up to $10,000 with the assistance of loyal family members (two daughters, five grandchildren and their spouses and two great grandchildren). Of course, he’ll have several good friends on hand, too.

Bonenfant told Everything About Seniors he will be back next year to raise money.

“I am shooting for a decade of fund-raising,” he said, adding that daily exercise keeps him physically fit and will enable him to easily walk the three miles at Rogers  Williams Zoon.

Elizabeth Morancy, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Rhode Island Chapter, noted her nonprofit group is one of 80 chapters hosting a Memory Walk fundraiser.

Morancy, remembered that only 135 walkers gathered at India Point Park in Providence to walk at the first fundraiser held 11 years ago. The 1993 Memory Walk raised a total of $13,000, she said.

This year, Morancy expects more than 1,000 walkers to gather in Providence at Roger Williams Park Zoo, in Newport strolling down Bellevue Avenue and at the beach in Westerly, who will raise $ 210,000.

“Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects the entire family,” noted Morancy. “It is absolutely imperative that we find effective treatments for Alzheimer’s patients while we continue to provide caregiver support to their families,” she said.

Morancy said funds raised by the annual Memory Walk funds the group’s Helpline and supports educational programs for professionals and provides assistance to the affiliated statewide support groups.

Moreover, Memory Walk funds also enable the nonprofit group to translate literature into different languages and to offer workshops in both Spanish and English, Morancy said.

Register today to participate in next Sunday’s 11th Annual Memory Walk and take small steps to ending the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s.

For those interested in walking, ask your family, friends and co-workers to sponsor you. Memory Walk brochures are available by calling 800-244-1428.