Dementia is uncurable, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t many different treatments lining up to take a shot at the variety of dementias stealing the memories from millions of people. Here are three very different routes to go.

1) Cancer drug SAHA

A drug already approved for people with cancer shows early potential as a therapy for a common form of dementia, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

“Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) holds promise as a first-generation drug for the prevention and treatment of familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a progressive, inherited neurodegenerative disease for which there is no treatment,” said Dr. Joachim Herz, director of the Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases and the study’s senior author.

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2) Orange Juice

Drinking 100 percent fruit juices could have protective health benefits similar to those of whole fruits, according to research presented in a literature review yesterday at the 2011 Experimental Biology (EB) meeting.

Highlights from a new report summarizing recent research on the potential benefits of fruit juice suggest a positive association between intake of 100 percent juice and reduced risk for several chronic diseases, including cancer, markers for cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.

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3) Ping Pong

June is National Safety Month. Certainly we should be conscious of safety throughout the whole year, but during June the Home Safety Council (HSC) launches of a number of initiatives and efforts to educate and motivate families. They want to see people take actions to increase the safety of their homes. 

HSC has ready-made home safety resources for you to share with friends, family members, or people you know in your personal, professional, and broader communities.

Check out their website to learn more about the “Hands on Home Safety Campaign” and how you can participate!

Are you and the people you know being safe?

There are number of factors that you must consider. It’s surprisingly easy to blow the question off and simply assume that everyone is doing all they can for their protection and health. But the question is essential.

Especially as we get older, we become more prone to accidents, mishaps, and other misfortunes.

With age, we are more likely to suffer from falls. It’s a familiar story: an elderly mother who slips and lands hard on her hip. It’s also a very serious matter. Older bones have lost a good deal of their strength, and it isn’t uncommon for falls to cause serious injuries, sometimes even death.

With age, we are more suscetible to confusion and disorientation. While this is prominent in the early stages of dementia, even those who are relatively healthy in the mind can easily have memory slips and lose track of what we should be doing. Again, a familiar story: the elderly man who starts to wander outside, unsure of where exactly he is going, and ends up traversing many miles on foot before his relatives even know that he’s gone.

With age, we are much more likely to exercise poor judgement. Safety is not always a physical concept. Think to yourself, “is there anyone I know who might be prone to getting him or herself in trouble?” Perhaps it would be due to certain habits of theirs, or maybe it is a certain association they spend time with.

If you or someone you know has difficulty living safely and comfortably in his or her own home, assisted living might be the solution.

If you or someone you know is starting to experience severe cognitive and memory decline, specialized memory care might be the solution.

If you or someone you know is fully-able to remain at home but needs exercise, stimulation, and activities to enhance day-to-day living, adult day health might be the solution.

Ask yourself these questions! They are important!

Starting July 1, 2011, The Alzheimer’s Association Western and Central Washington State Chapter will officially have a new President and Chief Executive Officer. Bob Le Roy will succeed former Executive Director Nancy Dapper, who left the organization in October 2010. Patricia Lee Hunter, MSW, has been serving as Interim Executive Director.

“We considered many extraordinary candidates in the search for our Chapter’s new CEO,” said Barbara J. Shaw, Board Chair of the Western and Central Washington State Chapter. “Bob brings more than 30 years of experience in the non-profit and private sectors and has earned a reputation as a trusted leader. Equally important, he shares our passion for our mission. Bob is the right CEO to lead the strategies we have in place to help raise concern and awareness about Alzheimer’s disease as well as advancing public policy, accelerating research and enhancing care and support.”

Profile of Bob Le Roy, the Chapter’s new President and CEO

Le Roy is currently the CEO of the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s disease is projected to rise dramatically as the baby boomer generation starts to turn 65 and enters the stage of life where an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is most common.

Prior to the Alzheimer’s Association, Le Roy spent 17 years in a variety of leadership roles with the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C., including 5 years with the Snohomish County Chapter based in Everett.

One of Le Roy’s biggest challenges will be to raise the public profile of a disease currently affecting 110,000 Washingtonians, 5.4 million nationwide, and those numbers are anticipated to triple by 2050.

Cascade Park welcome Le Roy to Washington’s Alzheimer battle. We are looking forward to what we will accomplish together.

Sometimes art is the best way of expressing what can’t be said in words, even when the subject revolves around forgetting what you want to express.

She’s an 83-year-old matriarch, queen of the family and fiercely independent. She’s also been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and her family must make the difficult decision of how to care for her.

Rose is the beloved main character of “Assisted Living,” which makes its West Coast premiere at Sandy Actors Theatre on June 3. Though the subject matter is serious, director Jim Wilhite says the story is filled with humor.

Artistic works, from books and movies to music and plays, can be very effective at providing social commentary and spurring debate. Consider the countless stories that explore the complex issue of race from the different angles of segregation, equality, socio-economics, and justice.

The issue of health and the choices we must inevitably make as we get older are no different. There are many philosophical debates about how an elderly person should be cared for. There are many more practical debates…

Health challenges come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but Alzheimer’s usually manifests with the same tremendous consequences for the individual and their loved ones. When it comes to dealing with patients, communication is key. It’s important to strike that balance between taking your cue from the patient (LISTENING) and making the decisions that you know are right (EVEN and ESPECIALLY when they are TOUGH).

But studying and learning about Alzheimer’s from care-giving trainers, textbooks, and the health-care industry can at times bog you down in all of the “facts” and “details,” making it hard to remember the emotions and the people behind the disease and its symptoms. Sometimes, a creative tool for learning and expressing ideas about Alzheimer’s is a much needed interjection among the plethora of hard science, research, and techniques.

So a couple years ago, Rich Rubin, a retired primary care physician in the Portland area created a work of art based upon the patients and families that he had cared for.

When he first started writing the play, Rubin said the tone was serious and even a bit somber. Then something interesting happened. Feisty and vibrant, Rose took over. The more he wrote, the funnier the story became. It was even uplifting.

“I imagine that it might provoke some discussion of the issues,” Rubin said. “This question of aging … how family deals with it.”

“Assisted Living” was recently selected as one of two winners in the new play contest at the Neil Simon Festival in Utah, dubbed in its review as “hilarious, moving and Simonesque.” The play was first produced at Adobe Theater in Albuquerque, N.M., in 2009.

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Also check out the Neil Simon Fesitval’s New Play Contest for the listing of “Assisted Living” as a winner, as well as details of submitting work.

Do you have any thoughts on how to create a work of art to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s or another cause such as traumatic brain injury? Share them with us on our Facebook page.