Anti-Stigma Award At its 33rd annual conference in Helsinki last month (16-18 October) the winners of Alzheimer Europe’s 2023 Anti-Stigma-Award were announced. First prize went to Touchstone’s BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Dementia Service in Yorkshire, UK, which provides specialist support to people living with memory problems or a diagnosis of dementia and their carers/family … Read more
Dementia blood tests could be available on the NHS in five years, Alzheimer’s Society claims, after launching the next phase of its Blood Biomarker Challenge, a £5 million award for the research team judged most likely to deliver. Applications for the challenge, a collaboration with Alzheimer’s Research UK and the National Institute for Health and … Read more
The Power of Music Fund, a scheme to promote social prescribing for people with dementia and their families, opened on 22nd November for new grant applications. Musical initiatives for carers and people with dementia, such as dementia choirs, can apply for multi-year grants of either £1,000 or £2,000 annually, depending on the size and scope … Read more
An easier way to administer an established treatment for Alzheimer’s disease has been developed by Luye Pharma. The twice weekly Zeyzelf rivastigmine transdermal patch is said by the company to be simpler than the daily rivastigmine patches already in circulation. It is also 52% less expensive than some other patches, the company says. Rivastigmine reduce … Read more
Research priorities Research programmes have tended to focus on finding a disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s, but how can we channel more funding into research to improve care and quality of life? Read More Work with local communities Former Department of Health (DH) civil servant Ruth Eley – now chair of the carer involvement group tide … Read more
Aston University in Birmingham played host to the 17th UK Dementia Congress (UKDC) last week (November 7 & 8) when delegates from every corner of the sector came together for a lively and thought-provoking conference and exhibition. Celebration and concern Graham Stokes, from UKDC’s main sponsor HC-One, kicked off the proceedings by reminding the audience … Read more
Co-created by people affected by dementia, a new film released by the IDEAL research project focuses on the importance of effective communication around dementia. Titled “The World Turned Upside Down,” it looks at the reality of living with dementia and caring for someone with the condition through a dramatic composition. People affected by dementia were … Read more
Lifestyle coaching could help to slow cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study which found that a coaching regime that included computerised brain exercises could provide more cognitive benefit than Alzheimer’s drugs. Published online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, research by the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) in Seattle … Read more
Retired university professor Rex Last is offering a free download of his book “The informal Dementia Carer – who cares?” which is described as a “hard-hitting defence” of the informal carer. Professor Last’s wife, who died in July, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s which developed into dementia. He says the book is a plea from a … Read more
For the first time NHS England has released data revealing that 34,412 people in England have been diagnosed with young onset dementia (YOD). But the NHS estimates that an additional 19,194 people in this age group may be undiagnosed, putting the potential total population of people with YOD at 53,606. “Until now, NHS England didn’t … Read more