November 10, 2007
Not without a fight: Family takes proactive approach in wake of Alzheimer's diagnosis
Link to Wisconsin State Journal article by Sandra Kallio
Story summary
Bill Davis greets a visitor wandering through the Middleton Senior Center, maintains eye contact during a firm handshake and offers her a glass of water or, he pauses, "some of this stuff."
His social graces are intact, but the word "coffee" escapes him for the moment, so he gestures to his own cup instead. He's among the first of several retirees to show up for the bi-weekly Meeting of the Minds, an Alzheimer's Association pilot project offering cognitive and physical stimulation for those with mild memory loss due to various causes.
Jody Curley, the Alzheimer's Association staff member leads the six-month session, which includes creative activities such as group poetry writing, practice of memory tricks such as mnemonics and discussions that range from what lecturers are coming to the Madison Public Library to how a group member is coping with medications or hallucinations.
"We'd love to be able to call it a memory retention or memory improvement program," but, until research shows that effect, she refers to this as a memory enhancement program ...
(Please click the link above for the full story.)
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October 13, 2007
Midwest Initiative for Dementia Screening project (MINDS) offers free memory screening opportunities
Link to The Madison Times article by Anita Martin
Maintaining healthy memory
Nearly 35 folks gathered at the Allied Boys and Girls Club Oct. 20 to learn more about memory and to get their questions answered. The speaker, Dr. Cary E. Gleason, also addressed how to maintain the brain and how to cope with memory changes ... Remembering isn’t a simple process, she said. Different systems in the brain are involved in memory, depending on how long information needs to be retained...
(Please click link above for full story, which covers Dr. Gleason's presention in depth and also the experience of Darryl White, a local resident who suffers from early memory loss.)
WTDY Radio
Paul Rusk, Executive Director of the Alzheimer's Association South Central Wisconsin Chapter, discussed the upcoming MINDS program on "Heart and Soul", a radio program on WTDY 1670 The Pulse in Madison. This project provides regional dementia screening, improving early detection of dementia in Wisconsin and improving Alzheimer’s awareness through community education.
As we age, most of us eventually notice some slowed thinking and problems remembering certain things. However, serious memory loss, confusion and other major changes in the way our minds work are not a normal part of aging. They could be signs of Alzheimer’s disease. And African-Americans may be at especially high risk for the disease. Some of the possible reasons are higher rates of blood pressure and diabetes, risk factors for Alzheimer's.
The Alzheimer's Association is hosting a special presentation, “Maintaining Healthy Memory”, by guest speaker Carey Gleason, PhD on Saturday, October 20, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club, 4619 Jenewein Rd., Fitchburg. Attendees will also learn about upcoming opportunities for confidential, free-of-charge memory screenings in the area that will take place in early November.
Co-sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, South Madison Coalition of the Elderly, North/Eastside Senior Coalition, Wisconsin Comprehensive Memory Program, African American Health Network, Area Agency on Aging of Dane County, and Dane County Department of Human Services. Program supported in part by an educational grant from Pfizer, Inc.
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May 16, 2007
Forget-Me-Not Days raises money and awareness for the Alzheimer's Association
Volunteers from the Madison Bankers Life and Casualty Company branch sales office take to the streets on May 18 and May 19, 2007 to raise funds to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association in the company’s annual Forget Me Not Days® event.
Joining hundreds of Bankers volunteers in cities across the United States, Madison Bankers Employees and agents will collect donations wearing distinctive green aprons and will be handing out packets of Forget-Me-Not seeds in return for each donation. Bankers hopes the seeds will be planted in honor of the almost 5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease (116,000 in Wisconsin alone).
“One hundred percent of the money we collect in Madison stays in the community to benefit the South Central Wisconsin Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association,” says Michael Hanson, Madison Branch Sales Manager for Bankers Life. Proceeds will be used to support local programs and services in the nine counties served by the Chapter.
Find us May 18 and 19 from 10am-2pm at:
- Macy’s at Hilldale
- Sam’s Club West
- Wal-Mart West
- ShopKo East
- Wal-Mart Stoughton
For more information, call Bankers Life at 608-221-9892 or the Alzheimer's Association Chapter office at 608-232-3400.
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May 6-8, 2007
21st Annual State Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders
With almost 5 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer’s disease, a 10 percent increase from the previous prevalence nationwide estimate of 4.5 million, reliable education and information about dementia is critical. Fortunately, the Alzheimer’s Association Wisconsin Chapter Network is offering a wealth of informational and skill-building opportunities at its 21st Annual State Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders on May 6-8 at the Marriott Madison West in Middleton, Wisconsin for both professional and family caregivers.
Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D., Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unite at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, will be the featured keynote speaker on Monday, May 7. Dr. Tanzi has been investigating the molecular genetics of human neurodegenerative disease since 1980 when he participated in Dr. James Gusella’s pioneering study that led to the location of the Huntington’s disease gene. Since that time, Dr. Tanzi focused on studies of Alzheimer’s disease and went on to isolate the first familial Alzheimer’s disease gene in 1987 and another in 1995.
Dr. Tanzi has co-founded two biotech companies currently developing novel therapies for treating and preventing Alzheimer’s disease. His work has been recognized with two of the highest awards given for research in Alzheimer’s disease.
Other national speakers featured at this conference include Jack York, President and Founder of It’s Never 2 Late whose company provides adaptive computer technology for people with dementia. Ron Zoglin and Deborah Shouse, authors and trainers from Kansas City, Missouri, sharing their new book, Love in the Land of Dementia which features tips for keeping connected with the person who has Alzheimer’s. Warren Hansen, well-known author of The Next Place, Older Love and so many other favorites, will speak to the conference audience on Sunday, May 6. Teepa Snow, dementia education specialist from Raleigh, North Carolina will close the conference on Tuesday, May 8.
The Alzheimer’s Association State Conference offers over 40 informational and skill-building workshops, an exhibit fair and books and resources on Alzheimer’s disease. A complete conference brochure and agenda can be obtained through the conference website at http://www.alzwi.org/.
Registrations are being accepted thorough April 27. Registration materials are available on the conference website at http://www.alzwi.org/ or by calling the Alzheimer’s Association office at 608-232-3400. For more information, contact the Kathy Davies, Conference Planner, at 715-344-2929.
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March 23, 2007
Executive Director Paul Rusk discusses the increase in Alzheimer's disease
On Wisconsin Public Television's "Here and Now" program, Paul Rusk, the Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association South Central WI Chapter, discusses a reported increase in diagnoses for Alzheimer’s disease. In the last year, the prevalence of this disease has increased by 10 percent, taking the national number to more than five million. It is now the fifth leading cause of death for people over the age of 65. Rusk will explain the reasons for this jump in diagnoses, and how it should be addressed. Click here for a transcript of the interview. (Scroll up to the top of the page to see a clip of the show.)
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March 20, 2007
Alzheimer's disease on track to become a nationwide epidemic
Click here for video clip of the NBC15 Morning Show interview
Unless a cure is found, Alzheimer's Disease is on track to become a nationwide epidemic in the not-too-distant future. Age is the biggest risk factor, and a large group of Americans is getting older--we call them the Baby Boomers. 1 in 8 will develop Alzheimer's in the next 5 years.
"He recognized me, however, he did not recognize my brothers," says Pat Wilson.
The Madison woman says she will never forget her father's battle with Alzheimer's. "I know the first time he had trouble tying his shoes, I couldn't believe what was happening," she says. Pat's dad lived with the disease for nearly eight years, "You're like, why are they acting like this? Why is he doing this?"
"We're still at that fundamental level at how this thing works," says Sterling Johnson, an Assistant Professor in the UW Medical School. Johnson says despite medical advances, Alzheimer's disease largely remains a mystery. "It's frustrating that we don't have any effective treatments or cures at this point," says Johnson.
A new report by the Alzheimer's Association says 5-million people, nationwide, now have the disease. By 2030 the number is expected to jump to 8-million, and by 2050 it's likely to double to 16-million cases.
"We need more support for research and programs and services to help people with Alzheimer's. This is really a growing epidemic," says Miriam Boegel. She is the development director for the local Alzheimer's Association, serving 17-thousand people in nine counties.
The organization's leader is currently in Washington D.C. asking Congress for additional funding. "We currently now have about 750-million dollars in Alzheimer's research. We want that number to be at least 1-billion," says Boegel.
"I hope it does raise some eyebrows in Congress. We need to have more federal funding for this," says Johnson.
As for Pat, soon after her father's death, she started working for the Alzheimer's Association. Knowing what she now knows, Pat understands the odds of developing the disease herself. "The chances are, that in our family, one of us probably will get it," says Pat.
This is not only a health issue, but a financial one, as well. On average, it costs nearly 175-thousand dollars to care for an Alzheimer's patient.
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March 11, 2007
Long-term care insurance helps avert some financial woes
Click here for link to full story at madison.com
Alzheimer's Association volunteer Dale Bruhn discusses his experience with long-term care insurance in caring for his wife who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. The South Central WI Chapter will offer a two-part Legal and Financial seminar on March 20 and April 3.
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January 6, 2007
Programs offer ways to stimulate the brain and maybe ward of Alzheimer's
Click here for link for full story from the Capital Times
Fear of Alzheimer's disease is causing more people to try to keep their brains active and healthy -- and more organizations to try to help them do so. Danielle Thai, Education Coordinator, talks about the Maintain Your Brain program to the Capital Times.
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Staff announcements
March 2007
Kristin Larson has joined the Alzheimer’s Association staff as a part-time Development Associate. Working with Miriam Boegel, she will assist with all fund development efforts. Kristin has twelve years of experience, raising funds most recently for the Meriter Foundation, and is a graduate of UW LaCrosse with a major in Mass Communications. A Wisconsin native, Kristin and her family lived in Seattle for 11 years before settling in Madison in 2001.
January 2007
Ellen Sullivan is our new part-time AFCSP Coordinator. Ellen is a social worker and has a long history of working on behalf of older adults in the Madison/Dane County area. “I am so pleased to be working at the Alzheimer’s Association. I’ve always admired the work done through this organization and feel fortunate to be a part of this staff.”
Jody Curley has joined the Alzheimer’s Association as a family support specialist. Originally inspired by her mother’s efforts to care for her grandmother, Jody has worked in older adult services and dementia care for 35 years in Indiana and Wisconsin. Jody has worked in a wide variety of settings, providing services for people with dementia and their care partners from pre-diagnosis to end-of-life care. She is also a certified tai chi instructor and has been teaching tai chi for twenty years, including adapting tai chi movements for people with special needs.
Carol Olson, who was hired as our AFCSP Coordinator in 2003, has accepted the new position of Outreach Specialist for Sauk and Columbia Counties. Carol has lived in Sauk County for 17 years and has worked on behalf of older adults for nearly 20. She has helped organize the Sauk/Columbia Memory Walk, assisted with education and outreach activities in both counties, and co-facilitates a caregiver support group in Reedsburg. Carol says, “I am delighted to be working in my ‘home counties’ again and look forward to working alongside the many dedicated families and professionals in the area to raise awareness and improve access to quality dementia care.”
Our thanks, admiration and well wishes go to Mary Reines, Program Director, who celebrates 10 years with the South Central Wisconsin Chapter. The following is an excerpt by Paul Rusk, Executive Director, from the congratulatory scrapbook celebrating Mary Reines’ 10 years with the Alzheimer’s Association: “...when we think back ten years, the growth and depth of everything we do has been so major it is hard to describe. Your special commitment, insight and skill in so many areas is a part of every innovation and expansion that today makes us the agency that so many folks depend on ...What is especially exciting is that we have so much in store for the future! We will never run out of initiatives to make South Central Wisconsin a better place for all as we work with you every day to truly change the world one step at a time.”
