http://www.alzheimers-illinois.org/enewsletter/january2013/trialmatch.asp
Elizabeth Patterson lived with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease for several years, but as is the case with all those who develop the disease, her ability to recall and function failed more and more as time went on.
“She started having memories of things that I don’t think ever happened,” said Karen Bush of her mother who passed away in 2009 at the age of 88. “She invented memories and had confusion with reality.”
Elizabeth Patterson lived with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease for several years, but as is the case with all those who develop the disease, her ability to recall and function failed more and more as time went on.
“She started having memories of things that I don’t think ever happened,” said Karen Bush of her mother who passed away in 2009 at the age of 88. “She invented memories and had confusion with reality.”
It was difficult for Patterson’s family to watch her decline.
“It’s so frustrating as a family member to see someone with Alzheimer’s but there’s nothing that could be done to fix it,” the Lake Bluff resident said.
But that inability to ‘fix’ the problem is something Bush is working on. The septuagenarian is currently enrolled in a clinical trial through Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Through clinical trials, researchers test new ways to detect, treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Without clinical trials, there can be no new treatments or cures.
The Alzheimer’s Association TrialMatch® is a free service that makes it easy for people with Alzheimer’s, caregivers, families and physicians to locate clinical trials based on personal criteria such as diagnosis and stage of disease as well as location.
“Alzheimer’s Association TrialMatch is a service that truly wants to empower people through providing education and information,” said Arnetti Taylor, associate director of the clinical studies initiative at the Alzheimer’s Association. “TrialMatch is on the frontline of the Alzheimer’s battle. Our specialists experience the anxiety, the hope and the possibilities of potential treatments right along with our constituents. We are there building a relationship with them while holding constituents’ hands through their clinical trials journey with high hopes of eradicating Alzheimer’s disease.”
Through her participation in a clinical trial, Bush has her blood taken and underwent MRIs and CAT Scans. She also completes problems that assess her understanding of spatial relationships and is asked a series of questions and to recall lists of words read aloud to evaluate her cognitive state. As part of the clinical trial, Bush has a study partner — the person is a good friend of her’s — who sees Bush on a regular basis and would be able to let researchers know if her memory was beginning to falter.
“What’s stopping us from developing diagnostics and treatment is not ideas and it’s not even money to a certain extent, it’s really participation in clinical trials,” said Dr. Raj Shah, director of the Memory Clinic at Rush University Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Shah evaluates and treats individuals with memory loss at the clinic as well as out in the community.
Bush, meanwhile, is happy doing her part to make progress in the fight against the disease.
“Like everyone else in my generation, any time we think we forgot something; we wonder ‘Could it be Alzheimer’s?’”
Click here to learn more about TrialMatch.
http://www.optimumseniorcare.com/services/alzheimerscare.php