NEW program! Alzheimer’s Research: Get Informed, Get Involved

Alzheimer’s Research: Get Informed,Get Involved is a series of education and awareness events brought to you by the Alzheimer’s Association®, Greater Illinois Chapter. These programs will feature local researchers who will discuss current trends, efforts and directions in dementia research. Information will be provided about the benefits of participation in research and local studies that are currently recruiting participants. Register today.

Alzheimer’s Research: Get Informed, Get Involved

Cost: Free

Alzheimer’s Research: Get Informed,Get Involved is a series of education and awareness events brought to you by the Alzheimer’s Association®, Greater Illinois Chapter. These programs will feature local researchers who will discuss current trends, efforts and directions in dementia research. Information will be provided about the benefits of participation in research and local studies that are currently recruiting participants. In addition, participants will be given the opportunity to enroll in the Alzheimer’s Association’s TrialMatch® program. Registration is required and space is limited, so please register today.
Monday, March 9, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
University of Illinois College of Medicine Pavilion
1601 Parkview Avenue, Rockford
Click here to register >>

Thursday, March 19, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
The Community House
415 W. Eighth Street, Hinsdale
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Wednesday, March 25, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Rasmussen College-Romeoville/Joliet Campus
*Rooms 103 & 104
1400 West Normantown Road, Romeoville
Click here to register >>
Wednesday, April 1, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Helen Mattes Library
100 East Market Ave., Effingham
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Monday, April 6, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Rockford University
Star Science Building Room 130
5050 E. State St., Rockford
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Thursday, April 23, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Silverado Orchard Park Memory Care Community
5520 Lincoln Ave., Morton Grove
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Wednesday, April 29, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Alzheimer’s Association
207 S. Prospect, Suite 1, Bloomington
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Wednesday, April 29, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Alzheimer’s Association
207 S. Prospect, Suite 1, Bloomington
Click here to register >>

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Protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease found in young adults

Clumps of abnormal amyloid protein, often linked to Alzheimer’s disease, have been identified in the brains of men and women as young as 20, a new study shows. Amyloid is known to accumulate and surround brain cells in seniors and those with Alzheimer’s. It’s impossible to know whether the study participants, or anyone else with amyloid in the brain, would eventually progress to Alzheimer’s, but the findings may offer clues about the onset of the disease and opportunities for early intervention.

http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php

http://optimumseniorcare.com/blog/

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For First Time, Scientists “See” Both Alzheimer’s Markers in Drug Trial

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the presence of two signature markers in the brain – amyloid plaques and tau tangles. To date, most Alzheimer’s research into the causes of the disease and treatment/prevention strategies has focused on amyloid. Based on current research findings, however, tau build up in the brain correlates more closely with the memory and thinking decline of Alzheimer’s.

This week, the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s (A4) Study will begin scanning its clinical trial participants for the presence of tau – the first time researchers have collected images of both tau and amyloid simultaneously in an Alzheimer’s prevention trial. The A4 Study is testing whether a new investigational drug can slow the memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease in people ages 65-85 who have normal thinking and memory function but who may be at risk for developing Alzheimer’s memory loss in the future. In addition, through the amyloid and tau imaging scans, it may give us insights into how the two pathways affect the progression of memory loss and other symptoms caused by Alzheimer’s.

This research landmark comes about as a direct result of funding provided, in part, by the Alzheimer’s Association (see below).

Reisa Sperling, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, director of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, and co-principal investigator of the A4 Trial, told the Alzheimer’s Association that, “This will be the first tau PET scan done in an Alzheimer’s prevention trial. This is really exciting because it allows us to investigate whether decreasing amyloid can actually slow the progression of the tau tangles, which is so closely associated with cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s.”

It is especially important to study this in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s, where there are brain changes but before outward symptoms of memory or thinking problems. Research suggests that amyloid may “fan the flames” of tau – acting as an accelerant for tau spreading in the brain.

Alzheimer’s Association Involvement

In March 2014, the Alzheimer’s Association announced its largest ever research grant – $8 million over four years – to support the Longitudinal Evaluation of Amyloid Risk and Neurodegeneration (LEARN) study as a companion study to the A4 Study, a pioneering Alzheimer’s prevention trial.

The A4 Study is a three-year, randomized, double-blind, secondary prevention trial of an anti-amyloid treatment. It will be conducted in 1,000 cognitively normal older individuals who show evidence of abnormal beta amyloid accumulation on PET imaging, which suggests that they are at risk for cognitive decline, but not yet experiencing symptoms.

The LEARN subcomponent of A4 will follow individuals who do not have elevated amyloid and determine what biological changes are related to cognitive decline, including increases in tau levels, helping to shed light on the individual variations in Alzheimer’s progression. They will be followed for 36 months, with identical clinical/cognitive testing performed every six months in parallel to the A4 Study.

The Association’s funding includes support for a companion study that utilizes cutting-edge tau PET imaging to make determinations about the role of tau in developing Alzheimer’s. The objectives of the tau PET imaging study are to qualify tau as a biological marker of developing Alzheimer’s and determine whether the build-up of tau in the brain is altered in response to anti-amyloid treatments.

All data generated through LEARN will be made publicly available and accessible to scientists though the Global Alzheimer’s Association Interactive Network (GAAIN™).

The $4 million lead gift that made this grant possible was from a private family foundation that is a member of the Alzheimer’s Association Zenith Society, which comprises the Association’s highest and most involved level of philanthropy.

http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php

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Tuesday, March 10 from noon to 1 p.m. on Adult Day Services: A Closer Look at an Invaluable Resource
Presenter: Kathy Rhoads, LCSW Circle of Friends Adult Day Care, Champaign IL.
Is it possible to delay or avoid a residential placement for a person with Alzheimer’s by utilizing adult day services? What are the options and advantages of community-based and residential care? Join us for an eye-opening discussion on care alternatives available for people with Alzheimer’s.
Audio conferences are held the second Tuesday of every month.
Click here to register or call 309.662.8392. Once signed up, registrants will receive information and directions for the call.

Cost: None.

Registration
Register online below or to register by mail or fax, click here to download form.

Dates and time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Program

Day

Register

Adult Day Services: A Closer Look at an Invaluable Resource
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
[ click here ]

Hospice: Five Things Everyone Should Know
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
[ click here ]

Positive Responses to Challenging Behaviors in Persons with Dementia
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
[ click here ]

Music and Memory: Breaking through the Cloud of Dementia
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
[ click here ]

Listen to past Audio Conferences

Program and Date

Listen

Alzheimer’s Preparedness
[ click here ]

Asking for Help
[ click here ]

Beyond Computers and Internet Technology
[ click here ]

Beyond Medication – Non Medical Therapies to Enhance Quality of Life
[ click here ]

Family Dynamics – What is Your Role?
[ click here ]

Healthy Aging
[ click here ]

Music Activities
[ click here ]

Planning a Suceesful Day with a Person with Alzheimer’s
[ click here ]

Description:
Are you too busy to attend an educational program? Audio Conference is designed for those who aren’t able to attend a program outside the home or office.

Once registered, you will receive through the e-mail, a toll free telephone number with instructions. On the day of the conference you will call-in and join many others who are seeking the latest information on memory loss.

Adult Day Services: A Closer Look at an Invaluable Resource
Kathy Rhoads, LCSW Circle of Friends Adult Day Care, Champaign IL
Is it possible to delay or avoid a residential placement for a person with Alzheimer’s by utilizing adult day services? What are the options and advantages of community-based and residential care? Join us for an eye-opening discussion on care alternatives available for people with Alzheimer’s.

Hospice: Five Things Everyone Should Know
Kirk Swanson Regional Hospice Coordinator, Transitions Hospice
Understanding what hospice is (and isn’t) can help us ensure the best quality end-of-life care possible. Join us for a detailed discussion of what to expect from hospice, when to start looking for hospice care and how to choose a provider.

Positive Responses to Challenging Behaviors in Persons with Dementia
Chelsey Byers, MA Family Life Educator, University of Illinois Extension
Many individuals with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia will display difficult behavior during the course of their disease. These behaviors often lead to high stress for both the individual and the caregiver. Learn the basics behind these behaviors, their causes, and how to respond effectively to them.

Music and Memory: Breaking through the Cloud of Dementia
Jeanne E. Campbell, MA, LNHA, Administrator Mill Creek Alzheimer’s Special Care Center
In addition to bringing joy and calm to a person who is suffering, music can often help break through the cloud of dementia. Since it is processed throughout the brain, music can often be understood when other means of communication are not – even by people who may have been nonverbal for some time. Join us for a discussion on how to select and utilize music to improve the quality of life for a person with dementia.

http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php

http://optimumseniorcare.com/blog/

https://www.facebook.com/OptimumseniorcareIL