Join us for a Night to Remember – Alzheimer’s Association

Join us for a Night to Remember

The Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter Junior Board will host this fun event from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, February 21 at Blackfinn Ameripub, 65 W. Kinzie St., Chicago. Pre-sale tickets are $60 and $75 at the door. Ticket price includes entry, food, open bar and a great time. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase to win various prizes onsite.

Alzheimer’s Association Junior Board Presents
“A Night to Remember”

Friday, February 21, 2014
8:30 – 11:30 p.m.
Blackfinn Ameripub
65 W Kinzie
Chicago, IL 60654
Invitation >>
Thank you for your interest in attending “A Night to Remember”. Online ticket sales are closed but tickets will be sold at the door for $75. Ticket price includes entry, food and open bar from 8:30 – 11:30 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there.
For more information please contact Bethany Hein at bhein@alz.org or 847.779.6952.

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Participation in Alzheimer’s clinical trials important to African-American community

Participation in Alzheimer’s clinical trials important to African-American community

In celebration of Black History Month, we spoke to African-American family physician, caregiver and assistant professor of medicine Dr. Monica Parker about her passion for providing communities with local Alzheimer’s resources. Visit our blog to read about the ongoing importance of Alzheimer’s education and the need to promote awareness of clinical trial participation.

During Black History Month, the Alzheimer’s Association spoke with Dr. Monica Parker, an African-American family physician, caregiver and assistant professor of medicine about her passion for providing communities with local resources. The theme throughout all of her research and work in the field is simple: Education.

Board certified since 1990, Dr. Parker has practiced primary care and geriatric medicine in rural Georgia and urban Atlanta. Since 1995, she has been practicing with Emory Healthcare, often speaking on the importance of Alzheimer’s education. Dr. Parker has witnessed firsthand what needs to be done to get black communities involved in research through clinical trials.

“We need to educate and better equip our primary care providers,” states Dr. Parker. “If more providers are provided the tools to properly screen geriatric patients for dementia and given knowledge of community resources for their families, we will have better outcomes for the public. We need to better understand healthy aging overall.”

Dr. Parker stresses that education is key. She noticed that most of her upper-middle class white patients were being screened every year as part of a clinical research study at Emory’s Wesley Woods Center, and learning about better lifestyle habits. She knew that these same habits needed to be created and maintained in black communities.

“We needed – and need – to implore more people of color to become involved in clinical trials. We need them to complete memory assessments. Thankfully more and more people in the community have access to these opportunities. It is great to observe the excitement they have in becoming involved.”

Many people in the community were not involved in studies simply because they were not asked. “African-Americans are not unwilling. People were not aware of the need for study volunteers. In fact, African-Americans are very concerned with making things better for the next generation. They don’t want their children to face the same hurdles.”

African-Americans have a higher rate of vascular disease and are two times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than whites, so the time to get involved is now. “The biggest issue is poorly-controlled vascular disease,” Dr. Parker says. “We know that there is a gene that creates a predisposition to Alzheimer’s. MRI’s can show brain infarcts, which are caused by poor brain blood flow. Hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia are risk factors for decreasing brain circulation commonly manifested as strokes, or TIA’s. Education keeps people aware of these risk factors and lets them know where to turn and what questions to ask.”

The call to action must be verbalized and disseminated throughout communities. “Churches are the first place people in the community go to seek help and comfort. Church may not be prepared to take on questions about Alzheimer’s and to provide the necessary support. Many smaller congregations have no formal adult daycare program. Pastors want to help identify people in the community that need assistance. They are now able to develop relationships with health providers and offices of Aging. Congregations have hosted forums to let people know what dementia is – and what it is not. In these programs, the average person learns where to obtain information to help cope.”

Since 2010, Dr. Parker and her team have developed community forums, funded  in part and supported  by the Alzheimer’s Association, to inform about the Emory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and ongoing clinical studies. These studies have included an African-American Caregiver study, a study about normal women’s aging, and a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker study comparing CSF of Caucasians and African Americans with family histories of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Parker and the Emory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) have established these educational forums as one strategy that serves as an excellent mechanism for recruitment of volunteers for clinical studies.

According to Dr. Parker, many of the participants in the COOL-AD African-American Caregiver Education study in the Emory School of Nursing study viewed their participation as an opportunity for getting assistance and as a “service” provided by Emory – not simply as research.

One of the biggest and most immediate concerns still surrounding African-American research is the establishment of a national brain registry.  The Emory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center has had four African American families donate the brains of loved ones for the study of Alzheimer’s Disease in the last two years. These persons were active research participants before their deaths. This provided an opportunity to learn about their disease trajectory. The brain autopsy is important because the dementia observed may have a different pathologic origin in this population. Dr. Parker has a passion for this work, but she also knows that the decision to donate the brain of a parent or loved one is a difficult decision. Whether a person chooses to donate their brain for research or not, the more information provided to communities about the long-term value of these studies will result in more trials, further research and a possible cure that will secure the health of future generations.

Monica W. Parker, M.D., is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at Emory University. Dr. Parker participates in a biyearly lecture series funded by the Georgia chapter of theAlzheimer’s Association. Dr. Parker received a National Institute of Health (NIH) Minority Supplement award to study dementia in ethnic persons in the Emory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). She also takes her lectures on the road through the Registry for Remembrance, an academic community partnership that helps educate and recruit African-Americans for long term research participation at the ADRC. She is currently a Co-PI on a 3.5 million dollar grant awarded to Emory School of Nursing by the NIH – National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).

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Medical News New World of Health Care

Medical News
New World of Health Care


While there’s a new focus on preventative medicine, at the same time, health care is making strides to become more convenient, as free-standing emergency rooms and retail health clinics are moving into neighborhoods across America. Or, if you can’t leave the house, telemedicine can come to you. Click here to view article.

Although the good old days of seeing a family doctor are disappearing, health care is evolving so quickly that it could cause vertigo. Health clinics in local retail malls are increasing, and emergency centers are moving in next to grocery stores and hair salons. Meanwhile, hospitals are creating emergency rooms just for seniors.

A more significant change is the new emphasis on preventive medicine. Partly spurred by rising health care costs and the Affordable Care Act, new incentives encourage health care providers to focus more on prevention. Plus, in this age of electronic communication, your primary care physician can treat you at home, even if she doesn’t make house calls.

New Health Care System

One big change to the traditional health care system is the Accountable Care Organization (ACO), a network of doctors and hospitals that shares responsibility for providing coordinated care to patients with the goal of limiting unnecessary spending. At the center of each patient’s care is a primary care physician who coordinates the patient’s care with other providers.

In traditional medical care, hospitals and health care providers receive payment based on each service, visit or procedure provided, known as fee-for-service. Under the new system, the ACO is designed to pay doctors and hospitals based on how successfully they treat patients and keep them out of the hospital. ACOs must meet benchmarks for health care quality, focusing on prevention and managing patients’ chronic diseases while lowering costs with fewer hospital admissions, redundant tests and unnecessary treatments.

Medicare, the nation’s largest health insurer, has designated “Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations” and tracked their performance on 33 quality and performance measures, from patient satisfaction to hospital readmission rates to how reliably people with asthma, for example, get the care they need.

Last summer, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced positive and promising results from the first performance year of the Pioneer ACO Model. Pioneer ACOs earned $76 million by providing coordinated, quality care and saved nearly $33 million to the Medicare Trust Funds (“Providers Getting Creative with New Healthcare Delivery Models,” August 8, 2013, Health Care News).

Neighborhood Medicine

Another new development in health care provides easy access for consumers. Retail clinics—medical clinics located in pharmacies, grocery stores and “big box” stores, such as Target—are rapidly increasing across the country. They provide care for the more every day aches, pains and common conditions—such as bronchitis and vaccinations—typically delivered by a nurse practitioner. While you’ve long been able to get a flu shot or get treated for a sore throat, many established retail clinics, such as Walgreens’ Healthcare Clinic, have expanded into diagnosing and treating chronic illnesses.

With longer hours and no appointment needed, retail clinics fill a gap between your regular physician and costly emergency room care, are often more conveniently located and accept the same insurance that your regular health care provider would.

Free-standing emergency centers are the newest addition to convenient health care options and are located in the same shopping centers as the retail medical clinics. Both accept insurance. These free-standing centers offer emergency care and promise a faster in-and-out time than hospital emergency departments (EDs). In Washington state, emergency centers treat, diagnose and discharge patients within about 90 minutes, as opposed to the state’s average hospital ED wait of four hours. Costs are comparable to those of traditional EDs—at least for the patient (“What’s Good About the New Stand-alone Emergency Rooms,”Seattle Magazine).

However, emergency centers are also generating complaints, because many people confuse them with urgent care centers, which are a form of retail medical centers for those requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an ED visit. Neighborhood EDs charge more than urgent care centers, because by law they must be equipped for emergencies, with special equipment and certified personnel. Some people who are treated for minor ailments, such as an allergic reaction, at a free-standing emergency center are shocked to later see huge bills. And insurance companies aren’t happy either, fighting large bills in court.

Medicine by Electronic Means

Although telemedicine has been around for a while, especially for rural clients far from medical centers, it’s becoming more widely used. For example, patients with chronic illnesses can be monitored at home, with their medical data sent to the health care provider, who can often prevent a trip to the hospital. Homebound patients can have their blood glucose or heart ECG monitored and data sent to a home health agency or a remote diagnostic testing facility for interpretation.

With telemedicine, various applications and services, including two-way video, smart phones and wireless tools, electronically communicate medical information between physical sites. For example, a primary care physician and specialist can together determine a diagnosis using interactive video or the transmission of diagnostic images, vital signs and/or video clips along with patient data.

Even mental health therapists can practice using telemedicine. Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., recently introduced a system-wide telepsychiatry program, which provides a mental-health evaluation without moving the patient to a psychiatric facility.

Senior Emergency Rooms

With a growing senior population, hospitals are taking steps to cater to the medical needs and sensibilities of aging baby boomers and their parents, with emergency rooms specifically designed for the elderly. They feature nonskid floors, rails along the walls, reclining chairs for patients and thicker mattresses to reduce bedsores, natural lighting throughout common areas, reduced chaos and noise, and staff specifically trained in geriatric emergency medicine.

Hospitals noticed that emergency rooms were not meeting the needs of the elderly. Older patients’ conditions are often more complicated because these patients may be taking many medications, have more than one condition, and are sometimes unable to clearly express what is wrong.

Hospitals also have strong financial incentives to focus on the elderly. People age 65 and older account for 15 percent to 20 percent of emergency room visits, hospital officials say, and that number is expected to grow as the population ages (“For the Elderly, Emergency Rooms of Their Own,” New York Times).

At Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, volunteers interact with older patients to help keep them alert. An artificial skylight, which turns dark at night, is intended to combat “sundowning”—agitation and confusion at the end of the day. An iPad allows patients to have a two-way video conversation with a nurse, or touch the screen to ask for lunch, pain medication or music.

Sources

“How Healthcare Is Changing—for the Better,” October 18, 2012, US News

“New healthcare model emerges in Miami,” Miami Herald

“New neighborhood emergency rooms: Fast but expensive?” May 5, 2011, KHOU 11 News

“Providers Getting Creative with New Healthcare Delivery Models,” August 8, 2013, Health Care News

“Redesigning healthcare,” March 23, 2013 Modern Healthcare

“What is Telemedicine?” American Telemedicine Association

“What’s Good About the New Stand-alone Emergency Rooms,” Seattle Magazine

Concierge Medicine

Those who want more personal care from their physicians can use a “concierge” service. For an annual or monthly fee, ranging on average from $1,200 to $5,000 per year paid out-of-pocket, your physician is available at any time and can coordinate your health care. Doctors who practice in expensive areas tend to charge the highest fees; a high fee may also mean that they limit their practice to fewer patients to give each patient extra attention to discuss their health and any concerns and care needs. (“6 Things to Know About Concierge Medicine,” September 2012Kiplinger).

Concierge medicine is appealing to those who want a strong relationship with their doctor and who don’t want to wait to schedule an appointment or talk to their physician.

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Pay tribute to someone touched by Alzheimer’s

Pay tribute to someone touched by Alzheimer’s

The Alzheimer’s Association has a unique way to honor someone affected by Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. Now, you can create an online Tribute page to celebrate a life touched by Alzheimer’s while showing your deep support for the fight against the disease.
People create tribute pages to be used in a variety of ways. For instance:

  • Birthdays
  • Weddings
  • Bar/Bat mitzvahs
  • Baby showers/births
  • Memorial services
  • To honor a friend or family member living with the disease or someone who has lost their battle with Alzheimer’s

Your Tribute page is a place where family and friends can share their memories and make online gifts to help fuel the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Set up your Tribute page in four easy steps:

Step 1

Create: Start your Tribute which will be immediately available for others to see.

Step 2
Personalize: Write a personal story, share memories, add a picture, , start photo albums and ask family and friends to do the same.

Step 3
Share: Send a link to your Tribute so others can visit and get involved.

Step 4
Update: Refresh your Tribute, send emails about it and check progress.

A Tribute creates a lasting legacy that shows your strong commitment to the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Celebrate the life of someone touched by Alzheimer’s by creating a tribute page of your own.

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Get ready for a Reason to Hope – Alzheimer’s Association

Get ready for a Reason to Hope

The Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter Reason to Hope is a powerful 60-minute fundraising luncheon and program on Alzheimer’s disease. The goal for the event is to spread our message into the communities we serve and raise funds for the critical work we do nationwide. Please consider becoming a Table Host for this important event. Reason to Hope will take place in Oak Brook on Wednesday, April 23 and Chicago Tuesday, April 29.

The Alzheimer’s Association, Reason to Hope is a powerful 60-minute fundraising luncheon and program on Alzheimer’s disease. Though there is no cost to attend the luncheon, all Table Hosts and their guests will be asked at the conclusion to support the Alzheimer’s community by making
a One-Time gift or Multi-Year pledge to the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter. The goal for the event is to spread our message into the communities we serve and raise funds for the critical work we do nationwide. As a Reason to Hope Table Host this is your opportunity to share your passion for the Alzheimer’s Association with your friends, work colleagues and family.
In 2014, our Chapter will be hosting two Reason to Hope luncheons on the following dates:

5th Annual Chicago Reason to Hope
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Noon-1pm.
Union League Club of Chicago
65 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, Illinois 60603
Click here to view and download the FAQ for Chicago Reason to Hope Table Hosts.

3rd Annual Oak Brook Reason to Hope
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Noon-1pm.
Hyatt Lodge at McDonald’s Campus
2815 Jorie Boulevard
Oak Brook, Illinois 60523
Click here to view and download the FAQ for Oak Brook Reason to Hope Table Hosts.

For more information about Reason to Hope, please contact Sam Provenzano, Manager, Intermediate Giving at 847.324.0382 or via email at sprovenzano@alz.org.

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