Experts have hope for an Alzheimer’s drug to be developed by 2025
Experts believe that some form of a new Alzheimer’s drug will be developed by 2025, despite negative results of recent Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials. Leading scientists believe there is still great hope for novel therapies in the relative short term, most likely pilot versions that will need to be upgraded.
Award winning film raises money for Alzheimer’s disease
More than 100 people recently attended a premiere for Dragonfly at the Chicago Music Box Theater to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. The film, about a woman returning home when her mom is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, was written and produced by Cara Green Epstein. Cara lives in Chicago, working with adults with early stage Alzheimer’s. If you missed the premiere, you can still see the movie on DVD or Amazon instant video.
Proper dental care is important for a person living with Alzheimer’s
An individual living with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia may forget how to brush his or her teeth or forget why it’s important. As a caregiver, you may have to assist or take a more hands-on approach. Proper oral care is necessary to prevent eating difficulties, digestive problems and infections.
As Alzheimer’s progresses, the person with dementia may forget how to brush his or her teeth or forget why it’s important. As a caregiver, you may have to assist or take a more hands-on approach. Proper oral care is necessary to prevent eating difficulties, digestive problems and infections.
In the early stages of Alzheimer’s, dental care focuses on prevention. Getting check-ups and cleaning and flossing teeth regularly can prevent the need for extensive procedures later on, when the person with dementia may be less able to tolerate them.
During the middle and late stages of Alzheimer’s, oral health may become more challenging. The person may forget what to do with toothpaste or how to rinse, or may be resistant to assistance from others. Try these tips:
Loss of appetite may be a sign of mouth pain or ill fitting-dentures.
Provide short, simple instructions.
Explain dental care by breaking directions into steps. “Brush your teeth” by itself may be too vague. Instead, walk the person through the process. Say: “Hold your toothbrush.” “Put paste on the brush.” Then, “Brush your teeth.”
If the person wears dentures, rinse them with plain water after meals and brush them daily to remove food particles. Each night, remove them and soak in a cleanser or mouthwash. Then, use a soft toothbrush or moistened gauze pad to clean the gums, tongue and other soft mouth tissues.
For more tips, join ALZConnected, our online support community where caregivers like you share their ideas. You can also sign up for our e-newsletter to receive tips on a variety of caregiving topics.
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Dementia vs. Alzheimer’s: What’s the difference and why it matters
All people with memory loss don’t have dementia, and all people with dementia don’t have Alzheimer’s disease. Understanding the difference between memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is important in getting the right treatment and follow-up care. Join us December 15 for our free webinar: Dementia Vs. Alzheimer’s: What’s the Difference & Why it Matters to learn what to do when your doctor suspects Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
The Alzheimer’s Association is pleased to announce its schedule of free live webinars. Offered at various times throughout the day, the topics range from general awareness to specific caregiving strategies. Webinars are recorded and available to those who are unable to attend. Join us for one, or all!
Watch Past Webinars
Dementia vs. Alzheimer’s: What’s the difference & why it matters
Thursday | December 15, 2016 | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m or 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Red wine, vitamins and Alzheimer’s: Do they work?
11.16.16
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s: How To Prepare For The Appointment
10.25.16
Why are evenings so difficult? Sundowning & Alzheimer’s disease
10.13.16
Conozca Las 10 Senales De Advertencia
10.05.16
Improving cognition: How to use the senses for people with dementia
09.21.16
How to use simple physical activities to benefit people with dementia
09.13.16
Caregivers speak: I wish I knew then what I know now
08.25.16
How you can use music to help a person with Alzheimer’s
08.10.16
Learning to connect: Relating to the person with Alzheimer’s
07.12.16
Gadgets, gizmos and technology to make Alzheimer’s care safer and less stressful
05.12.16
Alzheimer’s medications: What they are and what they do
04.22.16
Compassionate Allowances Initiative may help with Alzheimer’s care
The inclusion of Alzheimer’s disease in Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances Initiative has had a profound impact on the Alzheimer’s community, according to Robert Egge, Alzheimer’s Association chief public policy officer. It’s helped people such as Tom and Julie Allen. Tom’s retirement and two part-time jobs weren’t enough to cover the large costs of Julie’s Alzheimer’s care; through the Alzheimer’s Association and Social Security, he was able to apply for disability benefits.
Today, there are an estimated 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease. And while most people associate the disease with old age, the fact is there are 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 living with it today. As with all forms of the disease, early-onset Alzheimer’s is a progressive, terminal disease, which cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.
Since the onset can occur in people as early as in their 30s and 40s it often strikes during an individual’s prime working years, and as the disease progresses it prevents gainful employment. As a result, individuals are coming to grips with a devastating diagnosis all while losing employment and the salary and benefits that come with being employed. These individuals and their caregivers then must figure out how they will pay for their care.
Thankfully, since 2010 the Social Security Administration (SSA) has helped these individuals by adding Alzheimer’s disease to its Compassionate Allowances Initiative. The initiative identifies debilitating diseases and medical conditions that meet the SSA’s disability standards for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This allows for faster payment of Social Security benefits to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, mixed-dementia and Primary Progressive Aphasia.
The Alzheimer’s Association actively worked with the SSA for the inclusion of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and advocating on behalf of individuals with early-onset (younger-onset) Alzheimer’s disease. As the SSA was considering this decision, the Alzheimer’s Association provided comments to the administration and commissioner, held numerous meetings with SSA staff to advocate for the inclusion of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and Alzheimer’s Association CEO Harry Johns testified during the SSA’s public hearing about the inclusion of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Since then we have worked closely with the SSA in support of the implementation of this Initiative nationwide and to educate our community about this benefit.
And since its implementation it has had a profound impact on the Alzheimer’s community, helping thousands of families including Tom and Julie Allen. Tom was looking for a way to help manage the costs of Julie’s Alzheimer’s care, since his retirement and two part-time jobs were not enough to cover the large costs of Alzheimer’s disease. Through working with the Alzheimer’s Association and the SSA he was able to secure for Julie the SSDI benefit.
Social Security benefits are very important to individuals with early-onset who are unable to work and have no other source of income. At the Alzheimer’s Association we hear from family caregivers about the challenges they face paying for care. As was the case with Tom, the financial complications and solution finding falls to the caregiver. That is just one of the reasons why we celebrate November as National Family Caregiver Month and we take time to honor the 15 million caregivers for those living with Alzheimer’s disease.
To learn more about how SSDI works and if it may be available to you, visit www.alz.org/SSDI or call our 24/7 Call Center at 1-800-272-3900.
This blog appeared originally on the Social Security Administration website blog.
About the Author: Robert J. Egge is the Alzheimer’s Association’s Chief Public Policy Officer and also serves as the Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement.
