What we’re doing, what we’re reading, and where we’ve been: it’s all here. Follow our Facebook & LinkedIn pages for updates, and forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues interested in all things Alzheimer’s. Thanks for keeping us in your inbox!
Thoughtful Hospitalization
Alzheimer’s families know that hospitalization is one of the greatest challenges for dementia patients.
Hospitalization can be difficult to navigate and can come with serious risks. But with the right tools, a hospital stay does not have to be a crisis!
Join our free online workshop Thoughtful Hospitalization to learn how to avoid unnecessary hospital visits, safely navigate unexpected and planned hospital visits, and prepare for transitions in care. Participants receive a hospital “go bag”, handouts, and access to the
recording. The workshops are available at multiple times this summer. RSVP HERE.
Aging Well in America: A National Plan on Aging
AARP is calling for a national plan on aging to ensure that as Americans age, they are able to build financial resilience, maintain good health, and remain in their homes and communities. This policy paper provides a comprehensive blueprint for the development of a robust national plan on aging to foster the well-being, quality of life, and dignity of older Americans now and for future generations. Learn more here.
Living Alone and Connected!
Living Alone and Connected! is an online community by and for persons living with dementia. The group offers information to support those who live with Alzheimer’s disease (or another dementia) who happen to live in a single person household. Living Alone and Connected hosts regular virtual educational events for community members. Check out our upcoming events here.
If you live alone with Alzheimer’s or other dementia, join the group today! Please share the group with your
community!
Living Alone and Connected!
World Alzheimer’s Month
Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) World Alzheimer’s Month campaign is September 2024. The theme is ‘Time to act on dementia’ & ‘Time to act on Alzheimer’s’ to focus on raising awareness and addressing the stigma.
World Alzheimer’s Month is a call to action for policymakers, health and care professionals, experts, those with lived experience and the general public to take collective action to reduce stigma around the condition. Get involved and spread the word! Find campaign materials here.
Blood Tests Accuracy In Spotting Alzheimer’s
A blood test accurately diagnosed Alzheimer’s 90% of the time, study finds. The results were presented last Sunday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. The new research was conducted in Sweden, and experts cautioned that, for use in the
United States, the results should be confirmed in a diverse American population. Experts emphasized that blood tests should be only one step in a screening process and that blood tests should be performed only after administering tests that assess memory and thinking abilities and CT scans that seek alternative causes like strokes or brain tumors. And blood test results should be confirmed by one of the gold-standard methods: PET scans or spinal taps to measure a protein, amyloid, that accumulates and forms plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s. Learn more here.
Mike Splaine’s Aging Policy Course This Fall
Splaine Consulting’s Mike Splaine will be teaching this fall at UMASS Boston. The course will be Thursdays from 7:00 – 8:30pm from 09/03/2024 – 12/13/2024.
- Course Title: GERON GR 697 – Special Topics in Aging Policy
- Description: This course prepares aging services professionals to design and execute effective dementia policy. Training includes Alzheimer’s disease/dementia care issues nd resources to mobilize activities that make sense at different levels. Using tools gained in the course, students will identify a relevant, real-life dementia policy problem, formulate achievable solutions and present them to decision-makers.
- Instructor: Mike Splaine is a consultant to the US Alzheimer’s Association/CDC Healthy Brain Initiative, Alzheimer’s Disease International, the International Psychogeriatric Association and the International Indigenous Aging Association (IA²).
For more information, contact gerontology@umb.edu or visit here.
