http://www.alz.org/dm/2012/accomplishments.asp
A number of key events increased our visibility and generated much-needed funds.
Raising Awareness and Funds
On June 20 – the longest day of the year – participants in the Alzheimer’s Association The Longest Day® event honored the passion, dedication and strength displayed by those facing Alzheimer’s. This first annual sunrise-to-sunset event raised funds to fuel the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Participants around the globe were challenged to push their physical limits and complete 16 hours of consecutive endurance activities such as biking, running or walking.
Walk to End Alzheimer’s® helped build awareness in more than 650 communities, engaging individuals and raising critically-needed resources for the cause. More than 350,000 walkers joined us nationwide, participating on nearly 39,000 teams. We raised more than $50 million during the 2012 season, a new all-time high! Â Through Walk, we’ve raised awareness of the disease and of the Association. In the world of entertainment, NBC recently revealed the contestants of next season’s “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” and the Alzheimer’s Association is honored to have actress, author and Alzheimer’s Champion Marilu Henner participate in season 13. As a celebrity contestant, Ms. Henner will raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association. Each episode will offer her the opportunity to talk about Alzheimer’s disease and to potentially win money for the Alzheimer’s Association
Care and Support – New Online Services
In 2012 we launched our comprehensive Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiver Center, which brings unique caregiving information and tools together into one easy-to-navigate site, featuring new and expanded information on early-, late- and middle-stage caregiving and other topics.
We also launched two new, free resources for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease:
- Alzheimer’s Navigator™, an online tool that helps caregivers and people with dementia evaluate their needs, identify next steps through customized action plan sand connect with local programs and services.
- ALZ Connected™ is the first social networking community designed for caregivers and people living with Alzheimer’s – a place to connect and communicate with people who understand the unique challenges of the disease and caregiving.
Advancements in Research
In our 30th year of supporting Alzheimer’s research through our International Research Grant Program (IRGP), the Alzheimer’s Association has reached a milestone: Since 1982, we have awarded more than $300 million in funding to more than 2,100 scientists around the globe.
As part of our commitment to investing in research, we recently awarded our largest-ever research grant – nearly $4.2 million over four years – to the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network-Therapeutic Trials Unit (DIAN-TTU), based at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The grant will enable the program to move forward more quickly with innovative drug and biomarker trials in people with genetically based, younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists at DIAN-TU announced the selection of three different types of drugs to be tested next year in the first large-scale international attempt to prevent Alzheimer’s in people who carry a dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s gene. These three drugs each target beta amyloid – the main substance in the brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s – in a different way. We’re hopeful that the trial will yield results that can quickly be translated into therapy options for families who have genetic mutations that cause the disease. Of additional importance, these findings may also translate into preventing the development of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, the major form of this disease.
Data was recently released from two Phase 3 studies of solanezumab for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s completed earlier this year. While the drug did not meet the endpoints originally identified in the trial, further analysis indicated a statistically significant slowing of cognitive decline in people with the mildest form of Alzheimer’s compared to the more advanced patients. This is an encouraging result and suggests this type of therapeutic strategy could be a viable approach to pursue in the fight against Alzheimer’s for those in the earliest stages or even those individuals showing no symptoms.
Advocacy – National Alzheimer’s Plan
The release of the National Alzheimer’s Plan was another positive step toward the nation’s first-ever strategic plan for Alzheimer’s, and one in which the Association was intimately involved.
Comprehensive in scope, the plan addresses issues that are important to the Alzheimer’s community including developing new treatments that prevent and effectively treat the disease, delivering much needed support for families, and enhancing care quality and effectiveness.
Your support makes milestones possible
What do these accomplishments have in common? The support of friends like you. Please help us achieve more milestones in the fight against Alzheimer’s this year.
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