Senior Assisted Living Blog

In the U.S. and global news sections, this week, the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Paris topped the health sections, drawing fresh attention to a disease projected to grow to affect 16 million Americans by 2050.

Updates from the field of Alzheimer's research told the story of an ongoing challenge in pharmaceutical therapy development: while treatments addressing the symptoms of Alzheimer's and other memory impairments are available, nothing has been found to slow or reverse the condition.

A major push is underway in the field to study anti-amyloid compounds and their role in building up plaque in segments of the brain, leading to the symptoms of Alzheimer's. However, progress has been limited. This is why new studies linking the use of chemical markers to detect substances associated with the disease are gaining attention. 

Tagging the amyloid compounds in an effort to mark-up a living brain where the pathology is present, offers clearer evidence for the role of the compounds in the disease's formation, and weighs heavier toward continued research efforts to identify those at risk for Alzheimer's, and drive ongoing pharmaceutical work to create treatments.

The push to detect earlier is certainly a welcome one within the support and treatment communities handling Alzheimer's patients day to day. As we've written before, identifying the condition quickly and educating oneself and one's family on the matters at hand, through groups like local Alzheimer's Association chapters, can go a long way toward easing the effects of a difficult period transitioning to new or more advanced care.

Provision Living's Forget-Me-Not Care Model thrives on early information and ongoing engagement as keys to successfully treating Alzheimer's and other memory impairment conditions. Our caregiving practices seek to generate memorable connections through innovative techniques such as gathering at "memory stations," and the earlier a resident can receive support of this kind the more likely positive results will be achieved.

(Image Courtesy of JA_FS on Flickr)