News Clips

For questions – or if you have difficulty retrieving these news articles – please contact the Helpline (800-272-3900, in the Bay Area), or info@alznorcal.org. In some cases, due to copyright requirements, you may need to use the archive function of the publishing newspaper's website.

World AlzheimerS Day where's Californias plan?
Opinion Page - Open Forum, San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, September 21, 2007

Today is World Alzheimers Day and we want to use the occasion to offer our sympathy to the more than 1.5 million Californians who will develop, live with and die from Alzheimers disease between now and 2050.

And what is California doing to prepare? ... Click here for article at San Francisco Chronicle site.

Legislators failed us
Letter to the Editor, San Francisco Chronicle,
published Monday, September 24, 2007
By SHERRIE MATZA, San Francisco

Editor - Normally optimistic that bright minds and compassionate folks can progress further than we would even dream, I am unfortunately reminded that outside forces often disappoint ("World Alzheimer's Day - Where's California's plan?" Sept. 21).

My disappointment has turned into sheer frustrationthat our elected officials have willingly turned their backs on the needs of hundreds of thousands of California families living with Alzheimer's disease. By refusing to allow SB321 to move forward, our California leadership has lost its chance to make history and save lives. Yes, it's as drastic as that.

I will continue to raise my voice until every elected official understands that Alzheimer's disease is the public health crisis of this century, and I hope many of you will join me.

About Frontotemporal Dementia
Letter to the Editor, San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine, Sunday, March 25, 2007, Alzheimer's and the other dementia:
We are all indebted to Katherine Nichols for bringing into focus the tragedy and lonely burdens of frontotemporal dementia ("The Other Dementia," Feb. 25). FTP unquestionably burdens families and the lack of awareness and understanding compounds that burden. We celebrate the coverage of this issue and the scientific leadership that Dr. Bruce Miller and his team provide.
We would not, however, want readers to leave the article with the notion that Alzheimer's disease is accepted, well understood and without stigma. Our data and our work say that people still are reluctant to acknowledge the decline that is Alzheimer's. We also would ask that we review the notion that it is somehow more devastating to suffer from dementia in our 50s than in our 80s. Certainly, we see people with Alzheimer's disease in their 40s and 50s, and their problems regarding work, disability and community resources are different from those issues we encounter with post-retirement illness.
Nevertheless, the loss to quality of life is equally painful to patient and caregiver regardless of age. To suggest otherwise explains why Alzheimer's disease receives less than 20 percent of the funding that the National Institutes of Health spend on AIDS, cancer or heart disease. The crude cost-benefit analysis that suggests we ought not invest in a population that is about finished anyway ignores the key concern of quality of life regardless of age.
William H. Fisher, CEO, Alzheimer’s Association/Northern California, Mountain View.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
“The Other Dementia: UCSF is at the forefront studying frontotemporal dementia, a wasting disease similar to Alzheimer's that strikes patients at their peak,” Sunday, February 25, 2007, San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine, by Katherine Nichols.
“Dawn spoke with impeccable grammar until she reached her late 40s, when she began struggling to assemble a sentence. Her 8-year-old daughter would ask for a hug, but the once-doting mother pushed her away. A former vice president at a local bank, Dawn became unable to manage her own finances. Her spending became so irrepressible that her family had to seek court orders to prevent her from losing everything she had saved. Before she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) at the University of California at San Francisco in 2002, Dawn divorced her husband. She was 52 years old. And the relentless decline continued.” … Click here for the full clip, and click here for the follow-up
Letters to the Editor (“Alzheimer’s and the other dementia)” published Sunday, March 25, 2007

"Remembering Alzheimer's: Joy Walters brings awareness of disease to local community," March 9, 2007, Cover Story, Almaden Resident (a Silicon Valley Community Newspaper), by Lydia Sarraille.
"When her memory began to slip, Almaden Valley resident Joy Walters said she knew something was amiss. She had problems recognizing everyday objects in her office, and just keeping her house tidy became a challenge. She got lost easily, even when she was familiar with the place. ... She recently spoke about her disease at the state Capitol as part of a larger discussion of how California can prepare for the rising numbers of Alzheimer's diagnoses in the state. ... Her testimony was given at a special hearing of the state senate Health Committee's Aging and Long-Term Care Subcommittee. ... The Feb. 7 hearing was convened by state Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose), who requested that Walters come and speak at the event. ... click here for the full clip.

To get involved and act, as Joy Walters has done, please visit our Advocacy section's Advocacy Center, click here.

"Living With Alzheimer’s Before a Window Closes," March 29, 2007, Page One, New York Times, by Jane Gross. Also, reprinted in the Sacramento Bee (March 29) and the San Jose Mercury News (April 2).
"Mary Blake Carver gazes from the cover of a neurology magazine this month, under the headline “I’m Still Here!” She often feels like shouting the message to her friends, her children, her husband. Ms. Carver, 55, is among the growing ranks of people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, when short-term memory is patchy, organizational skills fail, attention wanders and initiative comes and goes. But there is still a window of opportunity — maybe one year, maybe five — to reason, communicate and go about her life with a bit of help from those around her. Yet Ms. Carver is often lonely and bored. Her husband leaves her out of many dinner table conversations, both say, because she cannot keep up with the normal patter. He insists on buttoning her coat when she fumbles at the task. She was fired as a massage therapist because she lost track of time. So Ms. Carver fills her days by walking her neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, always with her dog, so she looks like “an ordinary person,” she said, not someone with “nothing better to do.” Five million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study last week by the Alzheimer’s Association. About half, 2.5 million, are at the early stages of the disease, other studies have found, struggling to pass for normal. They are impaired but not helpless or demented, and now a growing number are speaking out about how it feels to be them: Silenced prematurely or excluded from decision making. Bristling at well-meaning loved ones who boss them around. Seeking meaningful activities to fill their days." ... click here for the full clip.

"Alzheimer's -- funding fading ," February 7, 2007, San Francisco Chronicle Open Forum piece by William Fisher.
" One hundred years ago, a woman died in Germany. Her doctor was Alois Alzheimer. He started a century of Alzheimer's disease research. But, before the research, there was a name and a face. Dr. Alzheimer had asked: "What is your name?" "Auguste," she answered. ... click here for a PDF , or click here for the full clip on the Chronicle Web site, and click here for a correction of an error made by the Chronicle on an accompanying chart.

"Keeping time with Alzheimer's," December 27, 2006 article by Persis Knobbe in the San Francisco Chronicle
"Hanging on like the mom of a new kindergartner, I watch my husband from the social worker's glass cubicle. He is facing the piano player, the shrunken woman on one side of him, and on the other, falling asleep, the guy they call the Major. Ben -- of all... click here for the full clip

Perazich family walks in honor of an aunt," October 4, 2006 report by Kate Daly for The Almanac (Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside).
" On Saturday, Oct. 7, Liliana Perazich of Menlo Park and her husband will carry their 2-month-old daughter and pull their 2-year-old daughter in a red wagon in a Memory Walk to honor her aunt, whose own memory is fading away. Ms. Perazich will walk with her first cousin, Bill Davidovich, and his children, joining thousands of others in the Alzheimer's Association annual fundraiser on Treasure Island. After her aunt was diagnosed with Alzheimer's five years ago, Ms. Perazich recalls how helpful it was to attend a discussion the Alzheimer's Association hosted at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Her aunt is now in her 80s and..." click here for the full clip.

"Alzheimer's a real midlife crisis," October 1, 2006 Sunday front page feature (and side bars) by Jackie Burrell, Times staff writer in the Contra Costa Times.
"Suzie Smith's family first realized something was amiss when the 50-year-old Orinda shopkeeper couldn't remember what numbers were for. Carol Kirsch's colleagues became concerned when the meticulous, 55-year-old Kaiser Permanente employee missed yet another meeting and got lost in her own office building. And 38-year-old Tracy Mobley realized something was terribly wrong the day she spotted a strange animal on her porch. "That's Daisy," her young son told her in a slightly anxious tone. "Our dog." We tend to think of Alzheimer's disease as something that afflicts vacant-eyed 85-year-olds in nursing homes, not Stanford professors or vibrant moms who drive car pool. But nearly 500,000 Americans between the ages of 30 and 65 have this degenerative, memory-robbing form of dementia. And over the next 40 years, as the population and awareness of the disease grow, doctors expect the numbers for Alzheimer's as a whole -- both the Early Onset version and the more common Elderly Onset -- to skyrocket from 4.5 million to as many as 16 million. ... click here for the full clip

"Art Reveals 'the good that came out in him' -- Daughter saw caregiving as a way to learn about her dying father," Monday, October 2, 2006 feature by Steve Brown in the Chico Independent Record.
RED BLUFF — "Bob Carter was an angry, abusive man, who had become estranged from his children. But one of his daughters, Pam Klein, was determined to see him through the last years of his life. She became the primary family caregiver. "He and I didn't have a good relationship," she said. "When I cared for him it was the worst time of my life, and the best time of my life," she said while sitting in her office at the furniture store she and her husband own in Red Bluff. "I hated that time, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything else." Carter died of Alzheimer's disease almost 15 years ago. But a moment arrives as Klein is talking about her dad when her voice quavers and tears come to her eyes. "I wanted to see the good in him. That's why these are so important to me," she says as she looks at his landscape paintings, which decorate the walls of her office. "This was the good that came out in him." ... click here for the full clip

Raising funds for research is vital to curing Alzheimer's," Monday, September 25, 2006 column by Sue Hutchison in the San Jose Mercury News. "
"When Bonnie Bollwinkel goes to visit her 84-year-old father, she likes to tell him stories of the things they did together. She tells him about the time they were living in Africa and driving along a dirt road when an elephant suddenly appeared, trumpeting and raising its trunk in the air. ``Really?'' her father says, amazed. Sometimes Bonnie tells him about the early days of his medical practice when he was an obstetrician-gynecologist, beloved by his patients. Or she'll tell him stories about his later career as a star professor at UC-Berkeley's School of Public Health, when he traveled all over the world. ``You took care of so many people, Dad,'' she will tell him. ``I did?'' he always asks, incredulous. ``Really?'' Daughter, fundraiser He can't remember his life as Dr. Don Minkler. He has had Alzheimer's disease for 15 years, and most of his memories have disappeared. He doesn't remember that Bonnie is his daughter, but she reminds him every week when she visits him. `He knows that I'm someone who cares about him,'' she told me as we pored over family photos this month at her kitchen table in Los Altos. ``When he sees me, he says, `Oh, it's you!' '' ...

"A curious kind of widow: Wife charts the ravages of her husband's Alzheimer's disease," June 16, 2006 feature by Diana Reynolds Roome in the Mountain View Voice.
"Watching the personality and intelligence of her husband fade away over 12 long years under the relentless assault of Alzheimer's disease, Ann Davidson kept meticulous notes about what was happening to both of them. Published this year -- the 100th anniversary of Dr. Alzheimer's labeling of the syndrome -- 'A Curious Kind of Widow: Loving a Man with Advanced Alzheimer's' is the second book to come out of the Davidsons' long and painful struggle. " ... click here for the full clip.
For some additional news articles on Alzheimer's disease by this author, see http://www.dianarr.com/.

"Too many lives touched by Alzheimer's," May 19, 2006, a column by Fresno Bee Editorial Page Editor Jim Boren.
"In high school, we hung out at Tom George's house a few doors from the front gate of Hoover High School in Fresno, Calif. Tom's parents made a bunch of teenage boys feel like part of the family, meaning that we got fed when we were hungry, watched TV when we were bored and talked sports _ or even more serious subjects _ when we couldn't figure out what else to do." ... click here for the full clip.

"Studies bloom on Alzheimer's as Boomers age," San Francisco Chronicle (page 1), a May 15, 2006 news article by San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer Erin Allday.
"The long race to develop a cure, or even a viable treatment, for Alzheimer's disease is quickly turning into a sprint as the Baby Boomer generation heads toward old age and the country faces what could be a health care disaster if the disease is allowed to run rampant.
Scientists nationwide are edging in on possible causes of Alzheimer's, a devastating neurological disease that attacks short-term memory first and destroys brain cells until sufferers can no longer recognize loved ones or take care of themselves, and eventually die from complications such as pneumonia." ... click here for the full clip.

"The mouse that roared in Novato lab -- Tests showed that the change of a single amino acid in the brains of lab rodents 'opens the door on a field of research' into treatment of dreaded Alzheimer's disease," a May 15, 2006 news report by San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer Erin Allday.
"In the study of Alzheimer's disease, the smallest steps forward have sometimes led to the most exciting breakthroughs." click here for the full clip

"Remembering mom, even if she doesn't remember me," a May 14, 2006 editorial by Nevada Appeal Editor Barry Ginter.
"There's little chance my mother will recognize my voice on this Mother's Day, but that doesn't matter to me anymore." ... click here for the full clip.

"Alzheimer's awareness: Increased information helps, but caregivers still see death arrive in small increments," Los Altos Town Crier, an April 20, 2006 special feature by Nick Casey.
"As the loved ones, doctors and caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease have learned, the burden of chronic memory loss is not just with the patient. More than 4.5 million cases of Alzheimer's have been diagnosed in the United States alone, leaving countless families to face the physical, emotional and financial challenges of a disease that has a long duration - an average of 6.8 years - and currently no cure. One of the first obstacles was getting the disease recognized by the medical community." ... click here for the full clip

#1 Silicon Valley Business Journal's " 2006 Who's Who Directory of High Ranking Silicon Valley Executives " (4-28-06) spotlights William Fisher, Alzheimer's Association CEO for Northern California/Northern Nevada. Click HERE for more .

"Geriatric training funds cut by Congress as of July 1," Cupertino Courier, A March 15, 2006 news article by Anne Ward Ernst.
"The White House Conference on Aging in December placed geriatric training for healthcare workers in the top 10 list of "pressing aging issues of today and the future." But in December, Congress cut funding for such training out of the budget. That action could greatly affect services to elderly in the state and country.
Stanford University's Geriatric Education Center is one of three federally funded centers in California that delivers geriatric training and services to healthcare professionals who work with the elderly. But unless the center can find alternative financial support, the program will disappear in July.
Healthcare workers at organizations such as Alzheimer's Association, Live Oak Adult Day Care and Sunny View retirement community who attend conferences and workshops at the Stanford GEC will have to look elsewhere for instruction on how to deal with such conditions as dementia, pain management, diabetes, end-of-life care and more. Faculty in medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, chaplaincy, occupational therapy and healthcare administration will also lose the GEC curriculum.
"We're struggling to find enough money just to keep our basic staff involved," said Gwen Yeo, director of Stanford's geriatric center. ...click here for the full clip

"A little-known victim of government health care cuts," San Mateo County Times, A February 24, 2006 Senior Journal article, by Correspondent Joan Aragone.
"WHEN a family elder starts forgetting his relative's names, doesn't recognize a spouse or wanders off and can't find his way back, the family often calls a physician for help.
The elder may eventually be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. In the best scenario, medication is prescribed, and a treatment plan, including education and counseling for family members and friends, results. With preparation, family members can learn how to accept changes and find ways to make the elder as comfortable as they can. They know where to go for help.
But in cultures that stigmatize aberrant behavior, symptoms of dementia can be denied for years. Family members may suffer confusion, anger, guilt and sadness, but because they keep what they consider the shameful situation to themselves, they and the elderly patient may suffer alone.
"We need to be sensitive to the sense of stigma some immigrant cultures have toward dementia, and not deal with the situation as we would with a typical American family," said William Fisher, CEO of the Alzheimer's Association of Northern California, from his Santa Clara home.
But how do American-born social physicians, counselors and others in the "helping professions" learn about elders in different cultures as well as their own? ... click here for the full clip.

Assessing consent in dementia research," January 1, 2006 (page A1)
A feature by Sacramento Bee Science Writer Edie Lau.
"As a 56-year-old man with early onset Alzheimer's disease, Travis Davison is taking part in two research studies. One involves an experimental drug. The other explores the genetic basis of emotions. Davison's philosophy is to sign up for studies as much as he can. "I sort of take the line (that) everything I can do, I will do," he said. In the world of Alzheimer's research, Davison is a rarity in that he is able to give his informed consent to participating in studies. More typically, people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia have lost the ability to judge the risks and benefits involved. ... click here for the full clip.

"Ray of Hope in Alzheimer's Struggle: Cholesterol drug may slow progress of brain disease," November 29, 2005 .
A feature story by Monterey County Herald Correspondent Juhi Yajnik.
Ann Todd was shocked when she first realized something was wrong with her husband, Ronald. "He called the sheriff's office to report that some of his tools had been stolen," she said. "And when I came home from work he told me about it. I realized he had forgotten that he had given them to our son." That day marked the beginning of the Monterey couple's nine-year struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Ronald died last year." ... click here for the full clip.

"Lifestyle may delay onset of Alzheimer's: Physician shares thoughts, research with Chico," November 19, 2005
Feature by Chico Enterprise Record Staff Writer Mary Nugent.
"I believe there are things we can do, not to prevent it from happening, but to delay five or 10 years that first symptom," said Michael K. McCloud, MD and geriatrician with UC Davis Medical Center. He brought this idea and many more to Chico Tuesday when he discussed "Memory and Aging: What's Normal, What's Not and What We Can Do About It." A crowd of 200 filled Family Masonic Center to hear him. ... click here for the full clip.

"New position created to meet Alzheimer's patients' needs: New position created to meet Alzheimer's patients' needs," November 21, 2005.
Feature by Nevada Appeal Staff Writer Maggie O'Neill.
Flip through the pages of the book about Kelly Ibarra's life and the story line is consistent - she is always serving others. It's her job, it's her life, it's her passion. But the 42-year-old recently shifted gears into a new position for the Alzheimer's Association [in Northern Nevada] as Alzheimer's disease outreach coordinator. ... "This is a brand-new position that (the Alzheimer's Association of Northern Nevada) received a grant for," she said. "They've applied for it before, but this time it was granted to fill the position. I am in charge of the rural counties as far as Carson, Douglas, Lyon, Storey and Pershing go. Those are my areas that I cover." ... click here for the full clip

“Toolbox in the freezer?” October 19, 2005
Feature by Los Altos Town Crier reporter Pam Walatka.
“Everyone becomes more forgetful as they age. But we often wonder if we are becoming so forgetful that we might have the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
John Timbs, family care specialist with the Alzheimer's Association in Mountain View, has developed a kind of checklist to help people make a distinction between signs of a serious illness and just plain dopey behavior that everyone struggles with. Here's his slightly irreverent guide: … click here for the full clip.

"Program Explores Alzheimer's," August 31, 2005.
A feature by Cupertino Courier reporter Anne Ward Ernst.
"Val Jeffery is making good on a promise– to get the word out about how early identification of Alzheimer's can improve the lives of those affected by the debilitating disease. To do that, Jeffery hosted and produced two shows about Alzheimer's that will air on the Cupertino Senior TV Production's program The Better Part..." click here for the full clip.

“Painting Memories,” Mountain View Voice, March 10, 2005.
A feature story, by Diana Reynolds Roome, about the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memories in the Making Program. click here for the full clip.

"Living, coping with Memory Loss," Los Altos Town Crier, May 15, 2002
"When a physician makes the initial diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, the patient and his or her family may be in shock or denial. Caregivers often wait until a crisis point to seek help - risking the patient's and their own well-being in the process. …. click here for the full clip.

"Alzheimer’s touches all cultures," San Jose Mercury News, May 1, 2002
"For 10 years, Tenny Tsai drove from Mountain View to Burlingame every day to visit her aging grandmother. Every weekend, Tsai packed her clothes and slept over. She hired a full-time caregiver after her grandmother became forgetful and began to misplace things…. click here for the full clip.

"Proactive outreach for caregivers," Mountain View Voice, May 3, 2002
"Few people expect themselves - or their loved ones - to develop Alzheimer's Disease. But this disease of the brain is the most common cause of dementia with an estimated four millions Americans suffereing from it - and an estimated 19 million family members caring for them...... click here for the full clip

"Programs Help Families Keep Track of Alzheimer's Wanderers," San Jose Mercury News, by Loretta Green, March 17, 2002
"On Dec. 5th, Margie Dabney, 70, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, vanished from the view of a Dallas-Fort Worth Airport wheelchair aide. She has not been found. Six days ago, 81-year-old Olive Goodwin, suffereing from Alzheimer's disease, walked away from her Belmont home....... click here for the full clip

"Alzheimer's Threat," Letter to the Editor (Wm. Fisher), San Francisco Chronicle, November 27, 2001
Editor – Thanks for the editorial "Charity close to home" (Nov.19). Since September 11, many charities that are largely donation-dependent… click here for the full clip

"Small connections help break the isolation Alzheimer's brings," First Person Sunday Living Section essay, by Ann Davidson, San Francisco Chronicle,
September 30, 2001
"Yesterday, on our 41st wedding anniversary, I sat beside my husband stroking his hair. Other residents in the Alzheimer's care center where he's lived for nearly six years strolled by. An elderly woman sitting beside us snatched the blueberry half of the Danish pastry I brought for Julian….… click here for the full clip

"A race against time," Open Forum, San Francisco Chronicle, July 30, 2001
"THINK ABOUT this the next time you go to your Baby Boomer class reunion: Half the prople there will develop Alzheimer's disease. Most have probably begun the disease process. And one of them could be you….….… click here for the full clip

"Working toward Alzheimer's cure," Around San Ramon: Monica Lander, San Ramon Valley Times, April 23, 2001
"San Ramon resident Cheryl Wilson-Maderazo sits opposite family members of Alzheimer's patients as she facilitates support groups and directs members to resources to help them through the disease's sad and devastating journey… click here for the full clip

"Workshops help family members of all ages cope with Alzheimer's," Contra Costa Sun, September 13, 2000
"One day Grandma is available to play games and go on walks, and the next day she doesn't remember who you are. The onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease does not change a person quite this quickly, but to a child, it feels like it does. Children attending a workshop at the Alzheimer's Association in Mountain View were asked to draw pictures representing their relationship with a grandparent with Alzheimer's. One child created images such as Grandpa walking along a path where he is very big at the beginning but becomes incrementally smaller along the way. Another drew a breaking heart…….. click here for the full clip

"Valley must face up to Alzheimer's," Opinion Piece/Wm.Fisher, San Jose Mercury News, August 1, 2000
"MEMORY and "Silicon Valley." Three words often bound together; a natural fit. "Alzheimer's." A word known to most, but not comfortable to many. Not in this valley where the speed of thought becomes the speed of processing, and ultimately the measures of innovation and success. Memory matters. Profoundly…. click here for the full clip

"Adjusting to life with Alzheimer's – Both patient and caregiver need a support system," Contra Costa Times, February 29, 2000
"IT'S A DIAGNOSIS nearly everyone dreads: to be told that the growing forgetfulness and muddled thinking they have noticed are not the result of ordinary aging, but instead, the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The news changes everything. ….. click here for the full clip

"TAKING CHARGE" – sidebar on benefits to early attention after diagnosis and how to get help…..….. click here for the full clip