Go Purple for June – Alzheimer’s – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

Go Purple for June – Alzheimer’s – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month! Everyone who has a brain is at risk to develop Alzheimer’s, which is the only leading cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month is a chance for the Alzheimer’s Association to hold a global conversation about the brain, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Commit to raising awareness this June and help us turn the world purple!

JUNE IS ALZHEIMER’S & BRAIN AWARENESS MONTH

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, this number could rise as high as 16 million. Help us turn the world purple. Commit to raising awareness in June for Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month.

Greater Illinois

ALZHEIMER’S & BRAIN AWARENESS MONTH…

is a chance for the Alzheimer’s Association to hold a global conversation about the brain, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Everyone who has a brain is at risk to develop Alzheimer’s, which is the only leading cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.

During June, we not only ask you to wear purple and use your brain to help fight Alzheimer’s disease we invite you to participate in one of our many events held throughout the month including The Longest Day on June 21…a sunrise-to-sunset event to honor those facing Alzheimer’s with strength, passion and endurance. Start a team today to raise funds and awareness.

Go Purple


THE FACTS

  • Alzheimer’s is a fatal disease.
  • Alzheimer’s disease kills nerve cells and tissue in the brain, affecting an individual’s ability to remember, think and plan.
  • As the disease advances, the brain shrinks dramatically due to cell death. Individuals lose their ability to communicate, recognize family and friends, and care for themselves.
  • Everyone who has a brain is at risk to develop Alzheimer’s.
  • Currently, there is no way to prevent, cure or even slow Alzheimer’s.
  • Today, 5.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including an estimated 200,000 under the age of 65. By 2050, up to 16 million will have the disease.

GO PURPLE

A special thanks to the buildings that are committed to Go Purple during the month of June.

Drug combinations may be effective in treating Alzheimer’s disease – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

Drug combinations may be effective in treating Alzheimer’s disease – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

With the success of combination therapy in HIV, cancer and heart disease, the time for this approach to treat Alzheimer’s may be near. James A. Hendrix, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association director of Global Science Initiatives, writes that a consensus is emerging that the most effective Alzheimer’s treatments may be those which attack the disease on multiple fronts.

Having witnessed the success of combination therapy in HIV, cancer and heart disease, the time has come for Alzheimer’s disease. At meetings convened by the Alzheimer’s Association and others, a consensus is emerging that the most effective Alzheimer’s treatments may be those that attack the disease on multiple fronts.

Looking back for a moment… In the 1980s, the world faced a new, unknown virus. HIV/AIDS was spreading virtually unchecked, devastating millions of lives and spurring lively scientific debate. Today, an HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 45 percent since their peak in 2005 according to UNAIDS, a United Nations program for global action against the spread of the virus. 

As researchers learned more about HIV, they developed new classes of antiviral medications—each attacking the virus in a unique way. Physicians eventually began prescribing two or more of these drugs together and emerging scientific evidence started revealing the most effective combinations. Today, a powerful three-drug antiviral “cocktail” is allowing people with HIV to live long lives.

Advances in understanding the progression of Alzheimer’s point to a number of underlying biological processes involved in the development of the disease. By leveraging this knowledge, we now have a singular opportunity to pioneer new approaches against Alzheimer’s, including combination therapies.

The Alzheimer’s Association has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) to challenge the research community to propose promising drug combinations to find more-effective treatments.

The joint effort, known as the Alzheimer’s Combination Therapy Opportunities (ACTO) grant initiative, will provide $2 million this year for testing approaches that simultaneously target two or more processes believed to underlie, exacerbate, or occur in the disease. An ACTO-funded study must involve repurposed drugs—those that have been determined safe for use in treating other conditions. With some information about safety already available, there is the potential to deliver new treatments more quickly than testing novel drugs, which take an average of 12 years to make it to pharmacy. ACTO will announce its initial award the first half of 2017.

The predominant theory of how Alzheimer’s develops is that buildup of two characteristic lesions in the brain—amyloid plaques and tau tangles—leads to the death of nerve cells. Plaques are deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid that build up in the spaces between nerve cells; tangles are twisted fibers of another protein called tau that build up inside the cells. The majority of Alzheimer’s drug candidates currently being tested in clinical trials target species of amyloid and/or the plaques.

Numerous other studies suggest brain inflammation and problems with blood circulation in the brain play a role in the disease’s progression. Other studies have identified an additional abnormal protein in the brains of people with the disease—and that this protein may explain why some people have Alzheimer’s changes in their brain but do not experience dementia. Because of the complexity of Alzheimer’s and its multiple causal factors, it may not only be preferable to use combination therapy, but necessary.

Research on potential Alzheimer’s combination therapies in mouse models is showing promise. One study in mice found that using a combination of experimental anti-amyloid drugs could more effectively reduce amyloid plaque buildup and prevent new plaques from forming than either candidate alone. A second study in mice found that using leptin, a hormone that inhibits hunger, in combination with pioglitazone, an approved diabetes drug, could reduce both amyloid plaque accumulation and brain inflammation.

Our hope is that testing multi-drug approaches is just the initial stirring of the innovation pot for Alzheimer’s combination therapy. Currently, the best evidence for reducing the risk for cognitive decline as we age through lifestyle is also a combination approach, including regular physical activity, mental stimulation, and a brain/heart-healthy diet. [alz.org/10ways] This begs the question, could Alzheimer’s combination therapy also take the form of drug therapy plus lifestyle changes? A combined lifestyle-drug approach is now common for lowering risk of heart disease; many people pair healthy diet and exercise with cholesterol and/or blood pressure medications.

While combination therapy for Alzheimer’s is a promising strategy, studying it presents unique challenges. These include both science- and business-related obstacles.

For example, few companies have a diverse enough pipeline of Alzheimer’s therapeutic agents in development to carry out combination therapy trials alone. Most would need to collaborate with another company or research center while protecting their intellectual property. Fortunately, partnership models exist in ongoing Alzheimer’s prevention trials where companies, academic researchers, government, non-profits and private charities have joined forces to test potential Alzheimer’s drug therapies. This approach makes it possible for companies to negotiate intellectual property concerns and spread the risk of therapy development across multiple stakeholders. Nonetheless, there remain many issues to untangle in this area.

Another challenge is determining which treatment combinations to test. In April 2015, the Alzheimer’s Association convened an expert workgroup of leaders from academia and industry, and a former member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to identify challenges and solutions to developing Alzheimer’s combination therapies. The group recommendedthat researchers collaborate to bring forward combinations of drug candidates previously tested in Alzheimer’s animal models and with known safety in humans. These candidates, they said, would yield the best chances for success and ensure speedier clinical trials.

At the same time, we need more basic research to better understand how Alzheimer’s develops and progresses. Calling on lawmakers to increase federal Alzheimer’s research funding is something virtually anyone can do. Those who want to get involved can visit alz.org/advocacy.

We are at a juncture of unprecedented promise in Alzheimer’s research. A few decades ago, we knew virtually nothing about how Alzheimer’s develops or progresses. Today we are looking at the possibility of combination therapies that attack the disease in multiple ways. With continued commitment from government, companies, academic researchers, and nonprofit research funders, we can unlock the combination to better Alzheimer’s therapy.

This post includes excerpts from “Challenges, solutions, and recommendations for Alzheimer’s disease combination therapy,” a review article published in March 2016 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days® Spotlight – Leila Shojaee – Alzheimer’s – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days® Spotlight – Leila Shojaee – Alzheimer’s – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

Each year, Forget Me Not Days volunteers collect donations for the Alzheimer’s Association and raise awareness for the disease. In exchange for a donation, our volunteers hand out packets of Forget-Me-Not seeds to plant in honor of the 5.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease. In this article, we feature one the Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days volunteers, Leila Shojaee.\

Tell us a little about yourself…
I live in the south suburbs with my fiancé and my baby, a Jack Russell Terrier named Bailey. I have been a Branch Office Administrator and Agent Recruiter with the Bankers Life branch in Orland Park, IL for the past two years.

Do you have a connection to Alzheimer’s disease?
I have been lucky enough to not have anyone close to me suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, but through friends and volunteer activities, I have witnessed the heavy burden it can place on those who endure it and their families/support systems.

How did Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days get started?
Bankers Life, a subsidiary of CNO Financial Group, provides life and health insurance to those who are near or in retirement. Our agents and employees witness first-hand the health and financial impacts that Alzheimer’s disease has on our customers, their families and caregivers.

The Company wanted to be part of the effort to raise awareness of the impact Alzheimer’s has on families, so it joined forces with the Alzheimer’s Association—a leader in advocacy, research and caregiver support.

Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days, a company signature fundraising campaign, raises money for the Alzheimer’s Association and elevates public awareness of the disease nationwide. The name comes from the forget-me-not flower seed packets that our volunteers distribute in exchange for donations.

Since 2003, Bankers Life has supported the Alzheimer’s Association with more than $4.5 million for care, education and research programs, including collecting and donating more than $450,000 in 2016 alone.

What was the experience like while participating?
It is really a rewarding experience. The annual fundraising event is something we all look forward to and get really excited about! To heighten awareness and maximize participation, we send out weekly email reminders to our associates and agents. We like to include information about our partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association as well as infographics and facts about the disease so we all understand why this is such an important cause to support.

On collection days, we hit the streets in shifts to solicit for donations. Wearing green gardening aprons, we disperse to various intersections and retail locations to collect donations and raise awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association. In exchange for donations, we hand out packets of Forget-Me-Not flower seeds to plant in honor of a loved one and the more than five million people living with Alzheimer’s.

Collection days are always a whirlwind, trying to get everyone out to their designated areas at the right times, but we have so much fun! In fact, a lot of us like to make it into a friendly competition to see who can raise the most money by the end of the day.

Why do you participate in Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days?
I believe in the good work that the Alzheimer’s Association is doing, and I am honored to be able to do whatever I can to contribute to their mission. I am also thankful that Bankers Life has given me the opportunity to get involved with such an important organization.

Our strong relationship with the Alzheimer’s Association has made it possible for us to grow the event into a national campaign. In 2016, more than 1,600 Bankers Life agents, associates and Alzheimer’s Association volunteers hit the streets in more than 170 cities across the country, including our corporate office locations in Chicago, Indianapolis and Philadelphia.

Why is Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days important to you?
It is important to me, personally, because I want to do whatever I can to make a difference during my time here. At Bankers Life, we witness firsthand the affect that Alzheimer’s has on our policyholders and their loved ones. I want to see a cure for it within my lifetime!

Why should others volunteer and participate in Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days?
Alzheimer’s disease can happen to anyone… it could be a friend, spouse, family member, or even me or you one day. We have no way to know for sure. With that in mind, I think we can all see why it is important to provide care and support for those who are currently impacted, along with advocating for research for a cure in order to save future generations from being affected. Participating in Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days is really the least any one of us can do to help make a difference, and we always have fun doing it!

Register or Donate Today!
Please join us for the
15th Annual Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days fundraiser!

Help us plant the seeds of hope on June 2-3 or June 9-10, 2017, by joining Greater Illinois Chapter volunteers in the Chicagoland area.

Celebrity Champions honor people affected by Alzheimer’s on The Longest Day – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

Celebrity Champions honor people affected by Alzheimer’s on The Longest Day – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

On June 21, the summer solstice, team up with the Alzheimer’s Association to do what you love to honor those you love affected by Alzheimer’s on The Longest Day®. Our Celebrity Champions are letting the world know why they’re joining the fight against the disease and what they plan to do on The Longest Day to raise funds and awareness.

Limited time opportunity: your gift can go twice as far – Alzheimer’s – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

Limited time opportunity: your gift can go twice as far – Alzheimer’s – Optimum Senior Care – Chicago In Home Caregivers

Alzheimer’s is a triple threat unlike any other disease — with soaring prevalence, lack of effective treatment and enormous costs, we urgently need help to fight this escalating crisis. And today is a critical time to give, because your gift can go twice as far.
The Pine Family Foundation of Austin, Texas, has generously pledged $400,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association if we can raise that same amount by June 30. Their gift will support research initiatives that have the potential to slow the trajectory of Alzheimer’s.
This matching gift challenge means that you can make twice the impact on providing care and support services and advancing critical research to help those affected by Alzheimer’s.
During this matching gift challenge, your donation of $35 can become $70, a gift of $60 can become $120, or your especially generous gift of $120 can become $240.
Please take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity for your donation to go twice as far in the fight against this devastating disease. With your help, the Alzheimer’s Association can provide care and support for those impacted by Alzheimer’s, while accelerating research toward methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure.
When you make a gift by June 30, your generosity can have DOUBLE the impact on the more than 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s and their families. Please give generously today.Thank you.