Research Studies | Alzheimer's Association

Local Clinical Trials - Orange County
Research Opportunities - Caregivers & Patients Needed

Visit TrialMatch

Alzheimer's Association TrialMatch, our new online and phone-based clinical studies matching service available at www.alz.org/trialmatch.
With Alzheimer's Association TrialMatch, you can:

• Review information about Alzheimer's and dementia trials that are actively recruiting patients throughout the U.S. and Canada.
• Experience the trial search capabilities for yourself. Search for specific trials based on study title, phase, drug, state, and city.
• Create a patient profile and receive unbiased, customized set of matches base on eligibility criteria (e.g., age, diagnosis,
current treatments,history, location).

NIH Report on Alzheimer's disease - May 2010
By William Rodman Shankle, MS MD The recent NIH scientific committee report, indicating that there is no proven way to reduce Alzheimer's disease risk may be misunderstood because it requires a translation from scientific thinking to public explanation.

From well designed epidemiologic studies throughout the world, it is known that there are many well established risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, such as hypertension, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, traumatic brain injury, etc. These same epidemiologic studies have also shown that when these risks are reduced, that the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is also reduced. The NIH scientific panel would also agree as to the truth of the above statements.

However, what is not known is whether it is the reduction of those risk factors that reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, or whether there is something associated with the reduction of those risks that reduces Alzheimer's risk. In other words, the scientific evidence has identified risk factors that, when reduced, are "associated" with reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, but the scientific data has not shown that reducing these risks "causes" the reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. What is also clear from the scientific data is that something reduces the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, and that this something is intimately associated with the known risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.

This is quite hopeful. It means that we, as a scientific community, have identified candidate preventive interventions that can be tested to determine if their use causes a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

I hope this helps provide one way of understanding how far we have come in finding what truly reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.

Dr. William Rodman Shankle is the Director of the Shankle Memory Clinic, Program Advisor for Alzheimer's Disease Hoag Neurosciences Institute, Chief Medical Officer at Medical Care Corporation and Associate Researcher, Cognitive Science Dept., UC Irvine.

Clinical Trials and Research
Over the last 15 years, scientists have made enormous strides in understanding how Alzheimer's disease affects the brain. Many of these recent insights point toward new breakthroughs for treatment or prevention, as well as improved ways to diagnose the disease and monitor its progression. Scientists continue to make advances on many fronts.

At any given time, several hundred studies are recruiting participants to help explore these exciting new approaches. Every clinical study contributes valuable knowledge, whether or not the experimental strategy works as hoped. Without study participants, however, the progress is stalled. Scientists report growing difficulty finding enough volunteers to complete these studies. If you or a loved one have Alzheimer’s, a related disorder or memory loss — or even if you don’t — you could help advance our knowledge about this illness.

By participating in a clinical study, you may help some of these new treatments, preventive strategies and diagnostic tools become a reality

What is a clinical study?

A clinical study is any medical research project involving human volunteers. Research into improved approaches usually begins with laboratory work or animal studies. Following early success with these methods, new strategies must demonstrate their effectiveness in the final proving ground of human testing. What is a clinical trial? A clinical trial is a specific type of study in which one group of volunteers gets an experimental treatment, while a similar group gets a placebo (a look-alike "dummy treatment"). Scientists evaluate the effect of the new treatment by comparing outcomes in the two groups.

Phases of clinical trials

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates medical products and drugs, oversees a rigorous process, based on sequential phases, for testing experimental treatments. The treatments must perform well enough in each phase to be allowed to progress to the next one. If a treatment performs adequately in all stages through Phase III, the FDA reviews all the data and determines whether to approve the drug for use in general medical practice.

There are studies that take place right here in our community

To learn more about clinical trials, download this PDF or call us at 1.800.272.3900.

Resources

National Alzheimer's Association
ADEAR - Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center
Alzheimer's Disease Program
Alzheimer Research Forum
American Society on Aging
Dementia Web
National Library on Medicine
University of Ohio Alzheimer Center
California Department on Aging

Books

Love Is Ageless: Stories About Alzheimer's Disease (edited by Jesicca Bryan)
Link to Google Book search
Elder Rage (Jacqueline Marcell)

Care Facilities

The California Nursing Home Guide
California Nursing Home Search

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR)

A non-profit, consumer rights advocacy organization dedicated to senior issues and focusing on long-term care for residents of California.
CANHR

Dementia Newsgroups

Ageless Design
Medicinenet.com (focus on Alzheimer's Disease)

Dementia Care Practice

The Dementia Care Practice Recommendations for Assisted Living Residences and Nursing Homes are the foundation of the Alzheimer's Association Campaign for Quality Residential Care.

The goal of the recommendations is to help assisted living residences and nursing homes nationwide provide a consistent, high quality level of care for individuals with dementia. The recommendations are based on the latest evidence in dementia care research and the experience of care experts. They are supported by 24 leading organizations representing residential care providers, professionals, care staff and consumers."

Click on the links below for Printable Booklets of Dementia Care Practice Recommendations

Dementia Care Recommendations: Phase 1 and 2
Dementia Care Recommendations: Phase 3 (End Of Life Care)

Elder Law Attorneys

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

Games/Activities

Elder Games (United Seniors Health Cooperative)
Mental Stimulation Kits
The Alzheimer's Store
Meaningful Life Skills or Emotions Plus
Wellness Resources
Proactive Elder Care

Government/Healthcare

California’s Discount Drug Program for Medicare beneficiaries
Center for Medicare Advocacy
Department of Managed Health Care (California) or call 1-888-HMO-2219
Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) or call 1-800-434-0222
Medicare Health Plan: Comparison of cost, coverage & benefits
Medicare Official Website
Medicare Rights Center

Long Term Care Insurance Rating Services

A. M. Best Company
Moody's Investor Service, Inc.
Standard & Poor's Insurance Rating Service

Medicare

See government/healthcare

Medication/Prescription/Benefits

Prescription Savings Program

On-line Publications

New LifeStyles
Caregiving Magazine

Orange County Resources

Caregiver Resource Center
Council on Aging including:
Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
Financial Abuse Specialist Team (F.A.S.T.)
Health Insurance Advocacy Program for Seniors (H.I.C.A.P.)
Health & Aging Services in Yorba Linda
Linkages Case Management Program
Meals on Wheels
Office on Aging (formerly Area Agency on Aging)
South County Senior Services

Related Diseases

CJD Voice

National Institute of Health Website
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes

Pick’s Disease
PDSG
NINDS FrontoTemporal Dementia Information
eMedicine Neurology
http://www.zarcom.com/users/alzheimers/odem/pk.1html
Family caregiver alliance
Association of Frontotemporal Dementias

Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)
Cognitive Neurology an Alzheimer's Disease Center
National Aphasia Association

Research/Drug Studies

Alzheimer's Disease International
Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of California, San Diego (ADRC UCSD)
American Academy of Neurology
Clinical Trials
Manual of Geriatrics
Mayo Clinic
Novartis Foundation for Gerontological Research
The Nun Study
University of California Irvine Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials and Research
University of California - Institute for Brain Aging & Dementia Clinical Trials
Vascular Dementia Trials

Websites in Spanish (en espanol)

Medline Plus
American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
AARP
Administration on Aging
UCI Medical Center (click:Espanol)
Mediguide
University of Utah, Health Sciences Center

NIH Report on Alzheimer's disease - May 2010By William Rodman Shankle, MS MD The recent NIH scientific committee report, indicating that there is no proven way to reduce Alzheimer's disease risk may be misunderstood because it requires a translation from scientific thinking to public explanation.