Alzheimer’s treatments on the near horizon for Iowans

National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month draws to a close as hope for progress in understanding and treating the disease looms on the immediate horizon.

Iowans could see new medical treatments on the market in the next 12 to 18 months. The treatments are in the final stages of clinical trials and could be particularly useful for people suffering from dementia praecox or Alzheimer’s disease.

Lauren Livingston, Iowa chapter communications director for the Alzheimer’s Association, said the number of Iowans with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia has risen to 66,000.

“And on top of that, you have to think about all those people who are taking care of them, their family and their friends,” Livingston pointed out. “More than 73,000 people are helping to care for people living with the disease.”

Livingston noted that caregivers often face more difficult health issues than the person living with the disease, because caregivers spend so many hours caring for their loved one that they often give up on their own health. Livingston pointed to a surge in funding for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research as reason for hope that there will soon be more effective treatments.

The National Institutes of Health is investing nearly $4 billion in research into Alzheimer’s disease and other related diseases, a sharp increase from $50 million just a decade ago.

Livingston said the Alzheimer’s Association is also investing heavily, but admits progress in treating the disease can seem slow.

“Alzheimer’s disease has only really been recognized in the last few decades,” added. “It also helps because it hasn’t been studied or looked at for as long as other diseases like cancer and heart disease.”

Livingston pointed out that three new treatments are expected to receive Food and Drug Administration approval in less than a year.

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Experts say the presence of police in full tactical gear and spending hours in school lockdown mode will leave a lasting impression on Maine teens and staff.

Phone calls claiming an active shooter was on school property have been reported from 10 high schools across the state. Many students hid for hours as staff members prepared for the worst. Others texted their family members, fearing their lives were in danger.

Registered clinical social worker Greg Marley, senior director of suicide prevention at the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Maine, said the threat is real until proven otherwise, and each person affected will have a different reaction.

“And based on their prior trauma, their personality, their mental health status, it could be incredibly traumatic,” he said, “or it could be really upsetting.”

Marley said it was important not to downplay anyone’s experience, even if it was based on a hoax. He said maintaining a healthy diet and exercising along with good sleep should not be underestimated to keep students from sinking into despair.

Teens can also text the NAMI-Maine Crisis Hotline at 207-515-8398.

Although some schools have faced threats before, it was their experience of “swatting” – calling 911 to report a shooting is already happening when it isn’t. Experts say the crash is meant to cause chaos and erode students’ trust in schools as a safe haven.

Marley said there will be signs to watch for over the next few weeks.

“But if they show they’re having trouble sleeping, being reactive – being emotionally upset, not eating, not wanting to go back to school – those are the signs that you really need to respond,” he said.

Marley said parents should contact school officials if their students remain fearful, and recommended that parents and students visit the school together to better understand the safety mechanisms in place. Patience and time, Marley said, are key.

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First responders experience some of the most horrific events in modern life and often carry huge loads of stress home from work. A new program developed by Wayne State University provides state-of-the-art resources and services to Michigan first responders to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder and other work-related mental health issues.

The result is Frontline Strong Together, a website and 24/7 hotline created by first responders and mental health experts.

Alireza Amirsadri, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at Wayne State University and lead developer of the project, said high stress pushes too many first responders over the edge.

“Part of the trauma, in fact, is that you reject, you deny, you try to rationalize, to intellectualize all of this. But in reality, it is avoiding discussing it and the impact of stress on them” , said Amirsadri.

Wayne State teamed up with the Michigan Crisis and Access Line in consultation with police and fire unions, paramedics and dispatchers to develop the program. The Frontline Together Strong website is at FST5.org and the helpline is 833-34STRONG (833-347-8764).

Amirsadri said that in developing the program he found there is a stigma among many police, firefighters and other first responders against admitting a mental health issue and seeking help.

“We were seeing them needing mental health issues and a lot of them weren’t accepting although they had symptoms. So a lot of them were self-medicating,” Amirsadri said.

He said research shows that 30% of first responders suffer from mental health conditions, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, compared to 20% of the general public.

“Did you know that the lifespan of retired policemen is about 15 years less than a civilian? 15 to 20 years less? There’s a reason for that,” Amirsadri said.

The program is funded by a $2 million grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

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Two months into the new school year, social workers in Minnesota schools say resources are still hard to come by to provide mental health services. There are additional funds, but also constraints.

Christy McCoy, social worker for St. Paul Public Schools, said the increased demand for mental health care among students isn’t slowing. Her district was among those that received US bailout funding to add school mental health care providers, including social workers. But McCoy said there was a problem in implementing this approach.

“So here we have this money that’s come out all of a sudden, but we’re struggling to find people to fill these positions,” she said. “So there are still a few open positions in our district.”

She said the labor shortage is also happening in other districts with additional funding. This fall, the US Department of Education announced a new round of separate grants for schools to add mental health staff. But Minnesota lost the first round, and state officials said they are still deciding whether to reapply.

McCoy pointed out that states don’t have a lot of time to gather information to apply, but adds that Minnesota is at least pursuing other grant opportunities. She suggested the solutions will have to start playing out soon, as the mental health needs of children cannot wait.

“Needs, they just come out of the carpentry,” she said, “and I hear that from my colleagues across the state, across the country.”

McCoy, who is chairman of the board of directors for the School Social Work Association of America, said they are also encountering waiting lists to connect students with providers in the community. His group lobbied Minnesota for dedicated funding during the last legislative session, but lawmakers failed to agree on additional spending. However, Democrats have taken full control of this election cycle, which may mean less stalemate deciding how to use the state budget surplus.

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