USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

An April 21, 2015 The Beacon Newspaper article (p. 21) highlighted the work of ClergyAgainstAlzheimer’s. According to the article, “ClergyAgainstAlzheimer’s continues the rich legacy of clergy and people of faith as agents of social change.”

MUST READS

An April 23, 2015 The Week article reported on the nation’s growing dementia epidemic. According to the article, “As the Baby Boomer generation ages, the country will experience what some demographers call "the silver tsunami," as aging Americans fuel a higher demand for services and health care. With that shift also comes an increase in age-related disease, like Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. So while the risk of Alzheimer's might actually be on the decline, the sheer number of older Americans is expected to make the disease a leading cause of death nationwide for decades…Researchers are trying hard to stem the tide of dementia in a rapidly aging population. In 2011, President Obama signed an act establishing the National Alzheimer's Project to coordinate federal research into the disease across agencies, with the ultimate goal of an effective treatment by 2025.”

An April 22, 2015 The Hill article reported on Former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s op-ed that urged the GOP to double the NIH budget. According to the article, “Gingrich’s op-ed comes as House and Senate Republicans are meeting to complete a joint budget proposal for the first time since 2006. The final deal, which will likely be reached next week, is not expected to include any increases to the NIH's current budget of about $30 billion. President Obama's budget proposal, which NIH officials have praised, would boost the center's funding by about $1 billion, ending sequestration cuts. In his op-ed, Gingrich compared the budget-slashing climate under his tenure to that of the current Congress but argued the GOP should still fight for NIH funding.” Read a counter point to the op-ed here.

An April 22, 2015 Democrat & Chronicle editorial supported Newt Gingrich’s call for the doubling of NIH’s budget. According to the editorial board, “The NIH is the main source of funding for biomedical research in the United States. This year, the agency funneled about $30 billion into laboratories, where scientists are working to find treatments and cures for diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes. NIH funding is the lifeblood of research being conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center…Congress is beginning to hammer out a budget for the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. President Barack Obama is only asking for a $1 billion increase in NIH funding in his budget proposal. But Gingrich, who helped lead the charge for huge increases during his tenure, wants the Republican-controlled Congress to do much better than that. At this point, however, it appears the GOP is not going to propose a penny more for the NIH in its budget plan…This is good medicine for our ailing economy.”

An April 22, 2015 The New York Times article reported that “An Iowa jury on Wednesday found Henry Rayhons not guilty of charges that he sexually abused his wife, an Alzheimer’s patient, by having sex with her in a nursing home after staff members told him she was cognitively unable to give consent.” According to the article, “The case ignited intense national discussion of an issue that will only gain importance as more Americans get older: whether and when people with dementia are capable of indicating if they desire intimacy.”

RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY

An April 22, 2015 Insurance News Net article reported on a new research study to demonstrate the value of PET scans in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. According to the article, “The Imaging Dementia - Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) Study will determine the clinical usefulness and value in diagnosing Alzheimer's and other dementias in certain situations of a brain positron emission tomography (PET) scan that detects a core feature of Alzheimer's disease (see also Alzheimer Disease).”

An April 22, 2015 The Times of Israel article reported that researcher Dr. Marta Weinstock-Rosin thinks medicine’s “next great challenge is to help people live better-quality lives.” According to the article, “And eventually, she believes, a preventive treatment will be found for Alzheimer’s and the other maladies of the brain, along with cancer, heart disease, and the other great medical challenges of the modern era. Exelon, the drug she created to treat Alzheimer’s, is just the beginning. “A young person today may live to see a time when Alzheimer’s and many of the other great challenges are preventable,” she said.”