Singer Tony Bennett Has Had Alzheimer’s Disease For Five Years

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AARP The Magazine revealed that Tony Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease back in 2016 but it has not been revealed to the public until now because he wanted to continue to tour.  He has performed publicly as recently as 2019 and even has concert dates scheduled for later this year, with the first one starting in March.  I can see how he would want to continue performing as music does stimulate the brain.  There have been studies of Alzheimer’s patients showing that when music is played their brains really perk up.

https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/celebrities/info-2021/tony-bennett-alzheimers.html

Monterey, CA New Hope For Alzheimer’s Drug

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The Food & Drug Administration FDA is taking another look at aducanumab, a potential new drug for treating Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.  The drug candidate will undergo an additional three months of review after a panel of experts in November recommended against approving the drug.  Biogen and Eisai partnered on the development of the drug and delivered new data to the FDA, triggering the prolonged review time.  An independent committee of experts had criticism of both the drug’s merits and the interpretation of data by FDA scientists.  Biogen said the data from one clinical trial showed a slowing in cognitive decline compared to study participants who received a placebo.  In the second clinical trial, the drug failed to show a benefit.  However, Biogen says it is likely because fewer patients received the higher dosage.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There are great people at our local chapter of Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan’s Ranch.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you need support at 800-272-3900.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-extends-review-of-biogen-eisais-alzheimers-drug-11611935425

 

Monterey, CA High Hopes For New Alzheimer’s Drug

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There has been so much bad news on the Alzheimer’s front, it was refreshing to read that an experimental treatment from Eli Lilly & Company helped patients.  Granted, it was a small trial of 272 people with mild Alzheimer’s disease, but results show that donanemab met the primary goal of the study, slowing the decline in memory and the ability to perform activities of daily living by 32% over an 18-month period.  Lilly is so excited about the results that it started enrolling another 500 subjects for a new study to confirm the findings.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/health/alzheimers-amyloid-lilly.html

Monterey, CA Last Day To Have Alzheimer’s Association Donation Quadrupled

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Tomorrow is the last day to have your donation to the Alzheimer’s Association quadrupled!  A generous donor has agreed to quadruple donations of up to $150,000 through year-end.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother had this terrible disease when they died.  Please take advantage of this generous offer and speak to the kind people at the Monterey Office of Alzheimer’s Association if you have any questions at (831) 647-9890.

https://act.alz.org/site/Donation2?df_id=47423&mfc_pref=T&47423.donation=form1&WT.mc_id=enews2020_12_30&utm_source=enews-aff-20&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=enews-2020-12-30&utm_content=homeoffice&utm_term=Story2

First Alzheimer’s Blood Test Is Available

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Although the test has not yet been approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA),  C2N Diagnostics has started selling a first of its kind : a blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.  Founders of the company include Dr. David Holtzman and Dr. Randall Bateman, both from the Washington University School of Medicine.  The easiest way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease to date has been an expensive PET brain scan which most insurance companies don’t cover.  The new blood test is not covered by insurance either.  However, the company offers discounts based on income against the retail price of $1,250. Speak to your doctor about ordering it if you are having concerns about dementia.

https://apnews.com/article/1st-blood-test-diagnose-alzheimer-sale-84a142c77b410d0ac562559e16f8c3f4

Researchers Studying Why Alzheimer’s Cases Are Clustered In Certain Counties

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Several studies have found that there is a correlation between where you live and the likelihood that you will get Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia.  U.S. researchers are now turning to see what, if any, common risk factors are involved.  The data shows that the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is higher in the Southeast and Gulf States (including Florida and Texas), compared with Western states like Arizona and Colorado.  Studies released this year have found higher rates of Alzheimer’s in poor neighborhoods and in rural Appalachia compared with non-Appalachian rural counties.  Another study from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and the Urban Institute identified 25 counties with the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease for Blacks, Latinos and Whites based on Medicare data.    These studies are important as we need to identify where the hot spots are so we can devote more financial resources to combatting this terrible disease.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/alzheimers-research-looks-at-hot-spots-across-the-u-s-11605558173

Monterey, CA Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alert For Baby Boomers

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A new study found that boomers may be seeing a declining level of cognitive functioning compared with previous generations, which could put them at greater risk of dementia than their parents and grandparents.  We have all seen the number of Alzheimer’s cases skyrocket in recent years, a very sad phenomenon.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandfather died of the disease and for years I was a big fundraiser for the local Monterey chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.  The new study, which was published in the Journals of Gerontology, studied over 30,000 people in the University of Michigan’s “Health and Retirement Study†which followed people from 1996 to 2014.  It found that many baby boomers started to show lower cognitive functioning as early as ages 50 to 54.  Lower household wealth, less likelihood of marriage, higher levels of loneliness, depression and psychiatric problems and an increase in cardiovascular risk factors like obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes were major factors.

Monterey, CA New Hope For Identifying Early Stage Alzheimer’s And Dementia

A nurse is helping an elderly woman to get out of her wheelchair.


There has been a dearth of good news on the Alzheimer’s front lately, but now researchers are saying Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a new use—detecting early-stage Alzheimer’s and dementia.  Scientists can use AI tools that analyze typing speed, sleep patterns and speech to detect signs of dementia.  They can even use virtual assistants like Amazon Echo that can record the way we type, search the Internet and pay bills.   Cognitive changes can appear years before memory lapses become apparent so the use of AI is very hopeful.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and grandmother passed away with Alzheimer’s disease.  It’s a terrible condition that can rock the whole family.  If you or a loved one are struggling with the disease, I encourage you to contact our local chapter of Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch.  They are wonderful, caring people.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you are in distress, call 1-800-272-3900

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-may-help-identify-patients-with-early-stage-dementia-11604329922?mod=djem10point