Monterey, CA FDA Approves Alzheimer’s Drug Lecanemab


The Food and Drug Administration has approved the Alzheimer’s disease drug from Eisia and Biogen called Lecanemab (sold under the brand name Leqembi), the first beta amyloid-targeting medication to pass a full FDA review.  The move is important as Medicare will likely have to cover most of the tab for the $26,500/year drug.  Lequembi got fast track approval by the FDA but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services refused to pay for Lequembi and marketing stopped for the drug.  It flushes beta amyloid, a protein in the brain, from patients with the disease.  A study showed that those who were administered a biweekly infusion of the drug declined 27% more slowly than a placebo group.  “With Leqembi, patients can get more time, Ivan Cheung, the Americas region chairman and CEO of Eisai, told USA Today.

“They can get more time in a more mild stage of the disease.  So whatever they’re doing now, they can keep doing it for longer,†he said.  Before starting on the drug, doctors must confirm a patient has amyloid in the brain via a PET scan or spinal tap.  Patients must also get multiple MRIs during the first year of treatment to check for side effects, which include brain swelling and tiny bleed in a small portion of patients.

Another anti-amyloid treatment from Eisia and Biogen called Aduhelm was “conditionally approved†by the FDA last year but Medicare refused to cover it making it out of reach for most Americans.   Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother had this terrible disease.  If you need support, there are some wonderful people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch.  They also have a 24-hour hotline at 800-272-3900.

More Testing Needed For Alzheimer’s Disease Detection

A close up of an old person holding someone 's hands


Burbank, CA  Getting an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) is critical, agreed the panelists on the Mapping the Future of Alzheimer’s Partnerships panel at the C4A 2023 Annual Conference, held here from May 9-11.  Yet some people have this diagnosis written in their medical chart and their doctor hasn’t even told them.

Michele Johnston, Program Director for Dementia Initiatives at the California Department of Aging said that around 50% of people who have Alzheimer’s are diagnosed.  “Half of the people diagnosed with dementia are never told by their physician,†she said, which I found to be a shocking statistic.  “When people get diagnosed earlier, it saves money for both the family and society,†she said.

Roughly 60-80% of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s disease, said Barbara McClendon, Public Policy Director at Alzheimer’s Los Angeles.  Yet many people refer to dementia as Alzheimer’s disease.   About 690K Californians had Alzheimer’s disease in 2020, a number which is expected to rise to 840K by 2025 due to the rapid aging of our population.

Longer term, the statistics are even more bleak, and minorities are being hit harder than the general population.  By 2040, the number of Latino’s with the disease are expected to triple, as are the number of African Americans having the disease.  For Asian’s, the number will double during this time frame.  The same is projected for members of the LGBTQ community.

McClendon rattled off a number of other alarming stats and said, “We are really fortunate in California that the State is aware of these statistics.  Governor Newsom has gathered an Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness Task Force, and Kim McCoy Wade, Senior Advisor on Aging to the Governor appeared on another panel to discuss what the State of California is doing to address the many issues seniors face in our state.  “Progress is already being made,†said McClendon.

Goal 2 of the Master Plan for Aging is “Health Reimagined†which includes a focus on dementia.  The plan is implementing a number of initiatives and calling for refunding for Adult Day Care, which was defunded in 2009.

She also said that research shows that there are a number of things Californians can do to reduce their risk of getting dementia, but “we need to get this info out,†she said.  Johnston noted that much progress has been made with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2018-2023 National Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map, and they are preparing to come out with a second edition of the road map soon.  She said the federal government had given out a number of grants to help fuel the Road Map, and the state has given grants to 13 different counties, including Monterey.

Terry Gabriel, Executive Director at PSA 2 of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA), said her agency had partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association and the Family Caregiver Support Program and emphasized the importance of inter-agency partnerships.

Shasta County was awarded funding and AAA was able to connect them with other agencies.  They developed a Community Needs Assessment Survey which was used to develop their local plan.  One thing the survey revealed was that first responders are there when there is a fall or someone with dementia has an outburst.  Sometimes they are at the same person’s home repeatedly.  They were able to develop a training program for first responders who can now better deal with dementia patients.

Victoria Jump, Director of the Ventura County AAA said that with the help of an ADPI Grant, they were able to develop the CAlz Connect initiative (California’s No Wrong Door System) which will be an enterprise client relationship management (CRM) system with interoperability between CRM systems with the Congressional Budget Office, health plans and counties.  This will be launched later this year.  The objective is to support communities and caregivers with access to quality innovative services.

Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease when they passed way.  It’s a terribly debilitating disease which can suck the life out of caregivers and family members.  Our local Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch has some wonderful people that can help, as well as a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

Eat More Protein

A piece of cheese sitting on top of a table.


Researchers have found that it is beneficial to eat at least some protein three times per day.  So, although you may be trying to stay fit or lose weight, doctors are now saying to put some peanut butter on that apple and some cheese on that cracker to stay healthy.

AARP Smart Driver Course At Carmel Foundation On March 20

A red square with the word aarp in white


Carmel Foundation will be hosting a teacher from AARP for a smart driver course from noon until 4:00 p.m. on Monday March 20.  It will be held in the Seideneck Room with instructor Curt Tipton.  The fee is $20 for AARP members, $25 for non-members payable to the instructor at the time of the class.  Sign up online at www.carmelfoundation.org or you can call member services at 624-1588.

GPS Trackers Debut That Can Be Attached To Anything

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Ever lose your keys or can’t find your purse?  Chipolo has introduced a product called Chipolo One Spot, which costs around $30.  It has a GPS or Bluetooth tracker that attach to pretty much anything and can be located via your cell phone.  When a Bluetooth trackers is in range, it communicates directly with your cell phone.  When out of range, the tracker relays its signal through other people’s compatible devices to show you its location.

GPS Trackers Debut That Can Be Attached To Anything

A group of people giving thumbs up to the camera.


Ever lose your keys or can’t find your purse?  Chipolo has introduced a product called Chipolo One Spot, which costs around $30.  It has a GPS or Bluetooth tracker that attach to pretty much anything and can be located via your cell phone.  When a Bluetooth trackers is in range, it communicates directly with your cell phone.  When out of range, the tracker relays its signal through other people’s compatible devices to show you its location.

Cancer-Detection Blood Tests Increasingly Used

A man in white lab coat and tie.


Blood tests which can pick up early signs of cancer are growing in usage.  Illumina Inc. recently disclosed that its Grail unit has  has sold 38K of its test (which costs $949) since it debuted in June of 2021.  This comes despite the fact that most insurance companies don’t cover the cost so it is an out-of-pocket expense.  Also known as liquid biopsies, they are designed to augment traditional screening tests.  Analyst Puneet Souda at SVB Securities estimates they could eventually reach $50 billion in annual revenue, although he didn’t predict in which year this would occur.

Social Security Checks Projected To Go Up Up 8.7% In January

A man in a suit and tie sitting inside of a car.


According to an estimate by Mary Johnson, a policy analyst for the Senior Citizen League, an advocacy group, Social Security Payments could see the largest increase since 1982 in 2023.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that inflation is still very high so the 8.7% increase may not mean much as far as purchasing power goes.  For the average retiree who currently gets a check for $1,656, the cost-of-living hike would bring them an additional $144.10 a month in 2023, making the average payment $1,800.

 

Monterey, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA Or HHA Designation A Plus

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Monterey, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours: $2/Hour Extra On The Weekends CNA Or HHA Designation A Plus (Service Areas Are Aromas, Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-sea, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Corral-de-Tierra, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, Seaside & Soledad

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade and have recently expanded into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey and Santa Cruz is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings all over Monterey County.

 

Seniors Are The Last Age Demographic To Drop Cable, Cut The Cord

A man and woman looking at a laptop


Virtually all of the major streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are having trouble sustaining their growth rates as myriad new services like Discovery+, Disney+, ESPN+,HBO Max etc. provide cheaper options than paying the fat cable or satellite bill each month.  The only thing which has given the sector some hope has been the growing number of 50+ streamers who are signing up for the online video services.
According to Nielsen, people 50 and over accounted for 39% of total streaming watch time in May, up from 35% a year earlier. “Streaming has progressed beyond both early adopters and the second wave, into older audiences that have been the last holdouts, “Brian Fuhrer, SVP of product strategy and thought leadership at Nielsen, told The Wall Street Journal.