Illinois resident appointed to national advisory group

The Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter would like to recognize Pati Hoffman of Carol Stream on her recent appointment to the national Alzheimer’s Association Early-Stage Advisory Group. Comprised of people with early-stage Alzheimer’s, the group is an invaluable resource to the Association as it represents people living with the disease. Each advisor is selected for his or her personal experiences with the disease and the desire to draw attention to early-stage issues.
The role of the Early-Stage Advisory Group is, among other things, to raise awareness about early-stage issues, act as spokespersons for national media opportunities, advocate to increase funding for research and support programs and help the Association in providing the most appropriate services for people living with early-stage Alzheimer’s.
“My expectations are that I will also continue to raise awareness of the impact of Alzheimer’s by sharing my viewpoint and personal story,” said Hoffman, who has also worked with the Greater Illinois Chapter to bring attention to the issue of Alzheimer’s. “My personal goal is to continue to hammer the point that Alzheimer’s sufferers have special needs regardless of the stage of their disease. I also expect to learn as much as I teach about programs, technologies and research.”

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Exciting events to aid the Alzheimer’s cause

http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/enewsletter/august2013/events.asp

Several exciting events benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association® are on the horizon. Please join us in supporting these endeavors with your participation, contribution or enthusiasm.

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Several exciting events benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association® are on the horizon. Please join us in supporting these endeavors with your participation, contribution or enthusiasm.
Flowers for Mom

On Monday, August 5, William Glass of Lombard will embark on a solo trek from Chicago to Atlanta, GA entirely on foot. Glass will travel 750 miles through six states to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s — a disease affecting his mother, Eileen Glass.
Glass intends to stop at several Alzheimer’s Association offices during his journey as well as meet with congressional representatives to encourage the prioritization of Alzheimer’s policy and initiatives.
The meaning behind the journey’s name, Flowers for Mom, stems from Glass’s childhood.
“As a kid, I would always pick flowers in the fields around the house to bring to her to cheer her up,” he recalled. “Even if they were weeds, she would always put them in a vase and set them on the dining room table or in the living room. I will be taking a single flower for her from Chicago (to Georgia, where she is currently living).”
Glass hopes to raise $10,000 and untold amounts of awareness during the nearly two months he predicts it will take him to reach his destination.
“I am doing this so that others will not have to suffer as my family has from this disease,” he said. “My mom and my family did not deserve this horrible disease.”
To contribute to Glass, please visit his ALZ Stars page. ALZ Stars is an endurance program to benefit the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Keep up with Glass during his travels through his Facebook page.
Remember When Motorcycle Ride

The sixth annual Remember When Motorcycle Ride will take Saturday, August 17 at Chuck’s Harley Davidson, 2027 Ireland Grove Boulevard, Bloomington.
Benefitting the Alzheimer’s Association and organized by Mike Fowler, whose wife Donna is in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, this event will begin with check-in from 9 to 10 a.m., at which time the ride will start.
The ride will conclude at the VFW Post 454, 1006 E. Lincoln St. Bloomington. Attendees can enjoy live music and lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. A silent auction will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. with a live auction beginning at 1:30 p.m.
All riders and passenger cars are welcome.
For more information, contact Jocelyn Lamartina at jlamartina@alz.org.

Companies can offer support with Walk to End Alzheimer’s sponsorship

http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/enewsletter/august2013/walk.asp

Theresa Gowin is completely hands-on when it comes to the business she co-owns with husband Jason Gowin. Established seven years ago, Gowin Parc Memory Care has expanded to serve four Illinois communities — Mattoon, Pana, Taylorville and Paris.
“Our company is just at the right size,” said Gowin, adding that she is very much in tune with what is going on with residents as they live with dementia and all its accompanying challenges.

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Theresa Gowin is completely hands-on when it comes to the business she co-owns with husband Jason Gowin. Established seven years ago, Gowin Parc Memory Care has expanded to serve four Illinois communities — Mattoon, Pana, Taylorville and Paris.
“Our company is just at the right size,” said Gowin, adding that she is very much in tune with what is going on with residents as they live with dementia and all its accompanying challenges.
Also of importance to the Gowins is involvement in their community. Gowin Parc has been a Decatur Walk to End Alzheimer’s silver-level sponsor for the last two years and will again support the Alzheimer’s Association signature fundraiser with a $1,000 contribution to the Saturday, October 12 event. This year marks the first that Gowin Parc has sponsored the Springfield Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, September 21 at the $500 bronze level.
“There is strong staff support of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s from our company,” Gowin said. “We all pledge to raise $100 or more.”
In 2012, staff from the memory care facilities raised a combined $2,450.
On Saturday, August 17, Gowin Parc will host its own fundraiser to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. The Race to Remember will take place at the trail run at the Fox Ridge State Park in Charleston. Learn more here.
The Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter is so grateful to those companies that recognize the importance of this cause and support the Association in its mission to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
Click here to learn more about those companies sponsoring upcoming Walks to End Alzheimer’s. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Doug Adolph, Director, Combined Events, at dadolph@alz.org.

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Greater Illinois Chapter welcomes new board members

http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/enewsletter/august2013/board.asp

The Alzheimer’s Association® Greater Illinois Chapter is pleased to announce it has appointed several new members to its Board of Directors. Our board works tirelessly to support and further the mission the Greater Illinois Chapter, which serves 68 counties throughout the state.

The Alzheimer’s Association® Greater Illinois Chapter is pleased to announce it has appointed several new members to its Board of Directors. Our board works tirelessly to support and further the mission the Greater Illinois Chapter, which serves 68 counties throughout the state.
Please join us in welcoming them.

John P. Anderson
John Anderson worked at USG Corporation as Senior Director of Executive Compensation and Vice President of Compensation Strategy from 2006 to 2011 and at McDonald’s Corporation as Vice President of Compensation and Benefits from 1985 to 2006. He has previously served on several boards.
“I was very fortunate in my business career, and have decided that in retirement I want to give back to those that are less fortunate,” Anderson said. “I decided to explore opportunities with the Greater Illinois Chapter because I see a definite need for greater public education, support services, and research with this alarming disease. It is a real ticking time bomb that needs to be addressed. While I have only limited direct family experience with Alzheimer’s, I have known business associates and friends who have been affected by it.”
Matt Brown
Matt Brown currently works for CNO Financial Group, Bankers Life and Casualty Company as Senior Director and Assistant Secretary, Product Approval and Compliance. He has also served as a member of the Chapter’s Finance Committee as a non-board representative.
“I am honored and humbled to be offered this opportunity to support the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association,” Brown said. “I am fortunate that Alzheimer’s disease has not touched my family directly, however with the alarming rate of diagnosis in the United States, it is just a matter of time. I have seen its devastating impact through friends and extended family members as they support their loved ones with this disease. And I am not without the empathy to understand and support others. I experienced the emotional loss and caregiving of my mother when she lost her fight to cancer at an early age.”
Brad Moore
Brad Moore worked for many years for the Tribune Company as Vice President, Targeted Media Group and is currently employed by InnerWorkings as Vice President, Corporate Development. He has been a supporter of the Association for many years, both personally and through his work.
“My first encounter with the Association came happened several years ago when I was seeking resources and information to help our family prepare for my mom, who was eventually diagnosed with a rare form of dementia,” Moore said. “The information I received — particularly on how to prepare the primary caregiver for what was ahead — became invaluable. Afterward, I helped to develop partnerships for the Association with the Chicago Tribune to help spread general awareness. My interest in a board position is to become more closely involved in the Association’s mission and evolution.”
Robert Noonan
Robert Noonan has chaired the music organization Chicago Parrot Heads and is currently the chair of the club’s charity committee. He has expressed a primary interest in fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Association so it can continue its mission to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
Victoria Raymont

Vicki Raymont is owner of Strategic Solutions Group. She has served as the chair of the board for the Center on Halstead and currently serves on the national Board for SAGE, Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders. She has worked on visioning and strategic planning with the senior leadership of the Association’s national office in the past.
“My affiliation with the Association goes back to national, almost 14 years ago, when they were a client of mine,” Raymont said. “I witnessed the Association’s current vision developed with the executive team at the time – it stopped us all in our tracks because it was so right, so compelling. Both my mother’s brothers died of Alzheimer’s – one with early-onset and the other with the more traditionally timed onset. The memories of the immediate, life-changing choices my uncle’s family had to make due to the early-onset version are vivid and clear, not to mention the impact on my aunt. Given Alzheimer’s disease is the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent it, cure it or even slow its progression, we must dedicate our efforts on behalf of advocacy, research and care and support. Its financial and emotional impact to both the country and individuals is without equal.”

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News out of Alzheimer’s international conference

http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/enewsletter/august2013/aaic.asp

More than 5,000 people from 70 countries attended the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® July 13 through July 18 in Boston. The event, which drawsdementia and neuroscience researchers from around the world, featured renowned speakers and revealed several new developments in the field.
These include links between cancer and chemotherapy and risks of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the scientific validity of online memory tests and increased availability of data for researchers worldwide.

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More than 5,000 people from 70 countries attended the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® July 13 through July 18 in Boston. The event, which draws dementia and neuroscience researchers from around the world, featured renowned speakers and revealed several new developments in the field.
These include links between cancer and chemotherapy and risks of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the scientific validity of online memory tests and increased availability of data for researchers worldwide.
Most kinds of cancer are associated with a significantly decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study of 3.5 million veterans reported recently at AAIC. In addition, the study suggested that chemotherapy treatment for almost all of those cancers conferred an additional decrease in Alzheimer’s risk.
A growing body of evidence suggests a possible association of cancer with reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease; until now, whether the association differs between cancer types or is modified by cancer treatment is unknown.
Dr. Laura Frain, a geriatrician at VA Boston Healthcare System, and colleagues analyzed the health records of 3,499,378 veterans age 65 and older who were seen in the VA health care system between 1996 and 2011 and who were free of dementia at baseline. The objective was to evaluate the relationship between a history of 19 different cancers, cancer treatment and subsequent Alzheimer’s disease.
Over a median follow-up of 5.65 years, 82,028 veterans were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Twenty-four percent of those veterans with Alzheimer’s had a history of cancer, while 76 percent did not.
The researchers found that most types of cancer were associated with reduced Alzheimer’s risk, ranging from 9 percent to 51 percent. Reduced risk was greatest among survivors of liver cancer, cancer of the pancreas, cancer of the esophagus, myeloma, lung cancer and leukemia. Cancers that did not confer a reduced Alzheimer’s risk, or were associated with an increased risk, included melanoma, prostate and colorectal cancers.
Online tests for Alzheimer’s disease suspect

An expert panel found that 16 freely accessible online tests for Alzheimer’s disease scored poorly on scales of overall scientific validity, reliability and ethical factors, according to new data reported at AAIC.
The panel, which included geriatricians, human-computer interaction specialists, neuropsychologists and neuroethicists, reviewed the tests, specifically evaluating the scientific validity and reliability of the assessments, their human-computer interaction features and ethics-related factors. The tests were evaluated on a scale from 1 (very poor) to 10 (excellent).
The researchers found that most of the tests scored poor or very poor for overall scientific validity and reliability.

All 16 tests scored poor or very poor on the evaluation criteria for ethical factors. According to Julie Robillard, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the National Core for Neuroethics at the University of British Columbia, who presented the findings, ethical issues with the tests included overly dense or absent confidentiality and privacy policies, failure to disclose commercial conflicts of interests, failure to meet the stated scope of the test and failure to word the test outcomes in an appropriate and ethical manner.
Ten out of the 16 tests scored fair for appropriateness of human-computer interface for an older adult population. This suggests that the visual aspects of the tests and the motor tasks required would be suitable for older users.
Data now freely available to researchers worldwide

During the international conference, the Alzheimer’s Association and the Brin Wojcicki Foundation announced that massive amounts of new data have been generated by the first “Big Data” project for Alzheimer’s disease. The data will be made freely available to researchers worldwide to quickly advance Alzheimer’s science.
The project obtained whole genome sequences on the largest cohort of individuals related to a single disease – more than 800 people enrolled in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
The genome sequencing data – estimated to be 200 terabytes – will be housed in and available through the Global Alzheimer’s Association Interactive Network (GAAIN), a planned massive network of Alzheimer’s disease research data made available by the world’s foremost Alzheimer’s researchers from their own laboratories. The network funded by an initial $5 million dollar investment by the Alzheimer’s Association, made possible due to the generous support of donors.
“By fostering a higher level of global data sharing, GAAIN will accelerate investigation and discovery in Alzheimer’s through a system comparable to a search engine like Google or Bing for relevant data,” said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association vice president of Medical and Scientific Relations.
To learn more about these findings and others, go to alz.org/aaic.

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