dementia

A test developed by researchers at Kings College London could track how well a person is ageing could help doctors identify patients who are most at risk of dementia and other age-related conditions. Those picked out as ageing fast could be referred onto clinical trials for treatments that try to prevent neurodegenerative diseases or slow the ageing process itself.

Making art galleries dementia-friendly spaces is the aim of the Azure programme which is being rolled out nationwide, inspired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. The idea is that people with Alzheimer’s or dementia will engage with art, aided by facilitators. Read more here.

The feared dementia epidemic is not happening in some European countries where the percentage of people with dementia and the number of new cases have levelled off according to research led by the University of Cambridge. However, the situation in Ireland is not known as we do not have a formal registry for cases, the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland has said.

The Irish part of the European Study Actifcare (Access to Timely Formal Care) would like to speak to people with dementia living at home and their families. If you would like to take part in this study please contact Dr Louise Hopper on 00 353 (0) 1 700 8540 or louise.hopper@dcu.ie for further details. Read more here.

Scientists appear to have broken a decades-long deadlock in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease after announcing trial results for the first drug that appears to slow the pace of mental decline.The drug, called solanezumab, was shown to stave off memory loss in patients with mild Alzheimer’s over the course of several years. The effects would have been barely discernible to patients or their families, scientists said, and it is no cure. Read more here.

Two thirds of individuals 65 and older who screened positive for cognitive impairment refused subsequent evaluation according to the first study of its kind to examine older adults' willingness to undergo diagnostic assessment. The Indiana University Center for Aging Research, Regenstrief Institute and Eskenazi Health study of approximately 500 older adults found that individuals living alone were the least likely to agree to diagnostic assessment following a positive screening test for dementia.

€45 million in funding has been made available under a new Horizon 2020 call entitled “Evolving models of patient engagement and access for earlier identification of Alzheimer’s disease: Phased expansion study”.