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Splaine Consulting March 2020 Newsletter
Splaine Consulting Highlights
Our team’s advocacy work, here & abroad
Dementia Care During COVID-19 Crisis
We wanted to share with our readers this timely and important video from Alzheimer’s Disease International that addresses the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on individuals living with dementia and their carers. The insights in the video are provided by Professor Huali Wang, MD/PhD, executive vice president of Alzheimer’s Disease Chinese, the ADI member association in China.
In the video, Dr. Wang explains how China has addressed the challenges of people living with dementia during the spread of COVID-19. The presentation offers details, perspectives and advice, with the hope that it may help Alzheimer’s and dementia associations globally as well as health and care professionals, people affected by dementia and their carers. Click the link below to watch the video.
Grant Funding Opportunity
A new U.S.-based grant opportunity has been issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living. Splaine Consulting offers direct service partnering opportunities to serve caregivers and persons who live alone with dementia. Splaine Consulting has been a subcontractor on funded awards since 2016.
The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is called the Alzheimer’s Disease Program InitiativeāGrants to States and Communities. Cooperative agreements under this FOA are dedicated to develop and expand dementia-capable home and community-based service (HCBS) systems in states and local communities. Program activities under both program options aim to provide quality, person-centered services that help individuals remain independent and safe in their communities.
Click on this link for more details and to see the categories of eligible applicants. If you are interested in discussing with us our ideas about these grants, please email Mike today.
Spring 2020 Alzheimer’s Policy Certificate Course
The Spring 2020 session Alzheimer’s Disease Public Policy Certificate course, taught online by Mike Splaine and Kate Gordon, is set to begin in just a few weeks.
Offered in conjunction with the Gerontology Institute, McCormack Graduate School of Policy & Global Studies at UMass Boston, the class convenes remotely for two hours on Thursdays, April 2 through May 7.
Course participants will learn about developing, financing and implementing dementia and brain health policies at the local, state, national and global levels. The course includes a focus on stakeholder engagement and effective communication with policymakers.
The fee is $250. The professional training certificate awards 1 CEU (Continuing Education Unit). Click the button below for more information and to register.
Mike & Kate Offer Recognized Expertise
Mike Splaine and Kate Gordon are experts in the field of dementia advocacy, planning and policy, with an impressive client list that includes Alzheimer’s Disease International, Bayer Pharma, National Consumer Voice and the State of Rhode Island.
Turn to Mike and Kate to help you draft your plan, provide policy analysis, offer grassroots advocacy advice, conduct training or serve as a speaker for your next conference, webinar or educational event. We work with all sizes and types of clients āfrom local to global, public or private, corporate or nonprofit. Contact us today.
Alzheimer’s Around the World
The latest policy, advocacy & research events and news
Stimulating Immune Cells Against Alzheimer’s
Scientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), the
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) Munich and Denali Therapeutics (South San Francisco, California) have developed an approach to stimulate immune cells of the brain to possibly provide better protection against Alzheimer’s disease. These findings ultimately could enable development of novel therapies to treat the disease.
The researchers identified a specific antibody that binds to the brain’s immune cells, termed “microglia.” This stimulates the cellsā activity in such a way that they live longer, divide more quickly and detect aberrant substances more easily.
In mice with disease symptoms resembling those of Alzheimer’s, studies revealed that deposits of proteins, or plaques, were recognized and degraded more quickly. Plaques are among the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, suspected of causing neuronal damage.
“(We) may have found a way to specifically remove particularly harmful forms of amyloid, which is the protein contained in the plaques,” reports Professor Christian Haass, department head of LMU’s Biomedical Center Munich. However, Haass cautioned that further studies are required before progressing this approach to clinical trials.
Survey: Medical Profession Not Ready for
Alzheimerās Demands
A new survey of primary care physicians in the 2020 Alzheimerās Disease Facts and Figures report from the Alzheimerās Association finds that nearly 9 in 10 primary care physicians (87%) expect to see an increase in people living with dementia during the next five years, but half (50%) say the medical profession is not prepared to meet this demand.
The 2020 Facts and Figures report provides an in-depth look at the latest national statistics on Alzheimerās prevalence, incidence, mortality, costs of care and impact on caregivers. For the first time, the accompanying special report, On the Front Lines: Primary Care Physicians and Alzheimerās Care in America, examines the experiences, exposure, training and attitudes related to dementia care among primary care physicians (PCPs), recent medical school graduates, and recent residency program graduates now in primary care practice.
A majority of PCPs in the survey (82%) reported that they are on the front lines of providing dementia care, but not all are confident in their care for patients with Alzheimerās and other dementias.
Ensuring PCPs are adequately prepared to provide dementia care is especially critical given a severe shortage of dementia care specialists. However, 44% of PCPs practicing in large cities and 54% in suburbs reported a shortage of specialists in their area, while 63% practicing in small cities or towns and 71% in rural areas noted this challenge.
‘Reflections of the Past’ Series
A new award-winning photo series, āReflections of the Pastā by Tom Hussey, was part of a marketing campaign by the healthcare company Novartis for its Exeton Patch, which is used to treat Alzheimerās disease. The beautiful and thought provoking images show elderly individuals in various settings looking at reflections of themselves at a younger age. Examples of the images are included on the Digital Synopsis website and can be found by clicking here. The campaign was awarded a Gold Addy from the American Advertising Federation.