World Alzheimer Report 2014: Dementia and Risk Reduction

The World Alzheimer Report 2014, released September 16th by Alzheimer's Disease International, critically examines the evidence on modifiable risk factors for dementia.

Focusing on potential modifiable risk factors in four domains: developmental, psychological and psychosocial, lifestyle and cardiovascular conditions, this report makes recommendations to drive public health campaigns and disease prevention strategies.

Additional materials at the site include video highlights of the launch; key message from the report, and a media release.

Manitoba’s Framework for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias

Produced by the Government of Manitoba, Manitoba’s Framework for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias serves as a roadmap for the continued planning and investment to improve the care and support of Manitobans with dementia and their families/caregivers. 

The framework developed 5 responses to dementia care which highlight provincial strategic objections.

• Raising Awareness and understanding
• Early recognition and Initial Assessment and Diagnosis
• Management, care and support
• End of Life Care
• Research and Evaluation

Within each response, the government has highlighted current gaps in service, as well as potential opportunities for care.  The report also highlights some of the advancements that have been made in Manitoba in the last 10 years in regards to dementia care.

For more information, and to obtain a copy of the report, please visit http://bit.ly/1lMYugb.

A Quick Look at Alzheimer's: Pocket Film

• A Quick Look at Alzheimer's: Pocket Film - The Genetics of Alzheimer's
  The latest in a series of animated films that explain the essence of the disease and its public health implications, The Genetics of Alzheimer's explores the role of genes in developing the disease. These films are designed to increase understanding in order to reduce stigma, improve care and help strengthen the public fight against this challenging disease.

2010 Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Report: A Deeper Understanding

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the Federal Government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has primary responsibility for basic, clinical, behavioral, and social research in Alzheimer’s disease, aimed at finding ways to treat and, ultimately, prevent this disease. The Institute’s Alzheimer’s disease research program is integral to its mission, which is to enhance the health and well-being of older people. This 2010 Progress Report on Alzheimer’s Disease summarizes recent Alzheimer’s research conducted or supported by the NIA and other components of NIH,
http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/2010-alzheimers-disease-progress-report-deeper-understanding

World Alzheimer Report: The Benefits of Early Diagnosis and Intervention

This is the third of the Alzheimer's Disease International's World's Alzheimer Report.  Alzheimer's Disease International works for an improved quality of life for people with dementia and their carers around the world, and believes that policy and practice should be based on the best available evidence.

This year’s World Alzheimer Report 2011 provides the findings of an independent research group which  collated and reviewed all of the available evidence relating to early diagnosis and early intervention.

Key questions include:

• Is it possible to promote earlier diagnosis of dementia, and how might this be achieved?
• What are the overall benefits or disadvantages of earlier diagnosis and intervention for
  people with dementia and their carers?
• What treatments or interventions are effective in the early stages of dementia?
• Is there evidence that some interventions are more effective when applied early in the
  disease course?
• Can earlier diagnosis and intervention reduce health and social care costs?

The insights provided here will be of interest to policymakers and planners and give additional stimulus to existing national programs while encouraging other countries to give much more attention to closing the treatment gap.

Caring for Seniors with Alzheimers Disease and Other Forms of Dementia

The Data Development and Research Dissemination Division (DDRDD)announced the release of this document by the the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) on August 26, 2010.

This study uses data from both home care and residential care to profile seniors with dementia. It highlights the similarities and differences between those receiving home care and those living in residential care.

Available at: http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=media_20100826_e

Alzheimers Project

From the NIA Spotlight on Aging Research:

Critics and viewers agree: The Alzheimer’s Project is television worth watching. The documentary series, co-presented by HBO Documentary Films and the NIA in association with the Alzheimer’s Association, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, and the Geoffrey Beene Gives Back Alzheimer’s Initiative, has reached millions of viewers. It won a 2009 Television Critics’ Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information and garnered two 2009 Emmy awards for nonfiction programming.

“Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?” producer and host Maria Shriver’s film about children coping with relatives who have Alzheimer’s, won an Emmy award for Outstanding Children’s Nonfiction Program. “The Memory Loss Tapes,” a film that features a personal look at seven individuals living with Alzheimer’s, won the Emmy’s Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking Award. Launched in May 2009, the series includes four core films. In addition, there are 15 additional short supplemental films available at www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/HBO/ or http://www.hbo.com/alzheimers/the-supplementary-series.html.

HBO produced another 18 short films for the AlzForum that are intended for researchers and scientific community, which can be found at http://www.alzforum.org/res/com/videogallery/.

For more information about The Alzheimer’s Project and to view the films, visit www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/HBO or www.hbo.com/alzheimers.

The Alzheimer's Project

On Sunday, May 10, HBO will premiere a five-part documentary series called "The Alzheimer's Project," which will examine several aspects of the devastating disease.

The Alzheimer's Project will air on the following dates and times:

Sunday, May 10 at 9 p.m. EST: "The Memory Loss Tapes" – The opening film in the series brings us into the lives of seven individuals living with Alzheimer's, each in a progressively advancing state of the disease.

Monday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. EST: "'Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?' with Maria Shriver" – Alzheimer's may occur in older adults, but affects entire families. Learn from five children, ages six to 15, what it's like to have a grandparent suffering from this disease.

Monday, May 11 at 8 p.m. EST (Part 1): "Momentum in Science" – Over the course of two nights, this two-part film examines the work of 25 leading scientists and researchers seeking to understand what causes Alzheimer's and how to treat it.

Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. EST: "Caregivers" – This film profiles five people's experiences -- both the challenges and the successes -- providing care to a loved one with Alzheimer's.

Tuesday, May 12 at 8 p.m. EST (Part 2): "Momentum in Science" – Over the course of two nights, this two-part film examines the work of 25 leading scientists and researchers seeking to understand what causes Alzheimer's and how to treat it.

After the initial airing, the series will be re-aired several times on HBO. In addition, HBO has developed an informative The Alzheimer's Project website that includes supplementary videos as well as materials available for downloading.

http://www.alzheimersproject.org/

2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures

Total healthcare costs are more than three times higher for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias than for other people age 65 and older, according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, released March, 2009.

To read the full report:
 http://www.alz.org/news_and_events_2009_facts_figures.asp

Guideline for Alzheimer's Disease Management: California Workgroup on Guidelines for Alzheimer's Disease Management

This report updates and expands the Guidelines for Alzheimer’s Disease Management (California Workgroup on Guidelines for Alzheimer’s Disease Management, 2002), which itself was a revision of the California Workgroup’s original Guideline published in 1998.

All of these documents were based upon work begun by the Ad Hoc Standards of Care Committee of the Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Centers (ADDTCs) of California (Hewett, Bass, Hart, & Butrum, 1995).

http://www.alz.org/californiasouthland/documents/professional_GuidelineFullReport.pdf

Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery

The National Institute on Aging today released a new edition of Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery, an illustrated, 80-page book written for people with Alzheimer's disease (AD), their families, health care professionals, students, and others with an interest in the disease.

This update to the 2003 edition of Unraveling the Mystery helps readers understand AD, its impact on individuals and society, and research advances to prevent or diminish the effects of the disease. The new edition:

• describes the basics of the healthy brain;
• focuses on changes that occur in a brain affected by AD;
• highlights findings from recent NIA-funded research into the causes of AD, new developments in diagnosis, and the search for new treatments; and
• addresses issues of concern to AD caregivers and families.
  

The book also includes a glossary, a comprehensive list of organizations offering more information, and a list of recommended reading.

To view, download, or order copies of Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery, go to: www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/Unraveling, or call NIA's Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center at 1-800-438-4380.

Bulk orders are welcome. To order copies in bulk, go to: www.niapublications.org/adearorder/bulk.asp.

A Quick Look at Alzheimers: Four Short Films for Download

Developed in partnership with the Alliance for Aging Research, these four very-short films aim to increase understanding of Alzheimer's disease. The creators of the films call them"pocket" films because of their brevity and portability; they are designed to be viewed anywhere at anytime: a doctor's office, a Congressional hallway, a family living room.

The films are designed to be downloaded to iTunes, or to your desktop.

http://www.aboutalz.org/

A Randomised, Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Dementia Patients Continuing or Stopping Neuroleptics (The DART-AD Trial)

There have been increasing concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of neuroleptics in people with dementia, but there are very few long-term trials to inform clinical practice. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of long-term treatment with neuroleptic agents upon global cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with Alzheimer disease.

http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0050076&ct=1

Diagnosis and prevention of dementia

From CMAJ online, a review article: Diagnosis and prevention of dementia 1. Risk assessment and primary prevention of Alzheimer disease.

http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/178/5/548.pdf