To help meet the urgent need for therapies that will effectively treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has launched two new research centers with funding expected to total more than $73 million over the next five years. The Alzheimer Centers for the Discovery of New Medicines are designed to diversify and reinvigorate the Alzheimer’s disease drug development pipeline. NIA is part of the National Institutes of Health.

The centers will provide added infrastructure for developing high-quality research tools and technologies needed to validate and advance the next generation of drug targets for Alzheimer’s disease. Data, research methodologies, and computational and experimental tools will be disseminated openly and free-of-charge to the broader research community—including academia and industry—for use in drug discovery and in research to better understand the complex biology of the disease.

The Accelerating Medicines Partnership-Alzheimer’s Disease (AMP-AD) program’s open-science enterprise, which has provided more than 500 new candidate targets for Alzheimer’s disease, served as the foundation for the new centers.

“Through these centers, NIH will expand the use of open-science and open-source principles to de-risk novel drug targets with the goal of facilitating the development of new treatments for Alzheimer’s,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.

With the growing aging population, Alzheimer’s disease is among the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. It affects an estimated 5.6 million people age 65 and older in the U.S. alone, a number that could rise as high as 14 million by 2050 without effective treatment and prevention. There are few current treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and several recent, late-stage clinical trials testing disease-modifying drug candidates have failed.

“Drug development for Alzheimer’s disease is a challenging, costly and high-risk endeavor,” said NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. “The launch of these centers marks a strategic step forward in our multi-pronged approach to accelerating discovery and development of treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s.”

The Alzheimer Centers for the Discovery of New Medicines grants were awarded to two multi-institutional research teams with extensive experience in developing and promoting open-access science practices. Each team brings together world-class expertise in data science, computational biology, disease biology, structural biology, assay development, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and clinical science.

The Indiana University School of Medicine Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery center will be led by Alan Palkowitz, Ph.D., and Bruce Lamb, Ph.D., at Indiana University, Indianapolis, with researchers from Purdue University, West Lafayette. The center will bridge target discovery work done by the AMP-AD program with newly discovered molecules that will be studied for disease-modifying potential in Alzheimer’s disease animal models, specifically those based on human pathology, genetics and translational biomarkers developed by the NIA-supported Model Organism Development & Evaluation for Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium.

The Alzheimer Centers for the Discovery of New Medicines are funded through NIA grant numbers U54AG065187 and U54AG065181.

Volunteers Sylvia Fulton, Gordon Dilger and Louise Dilger were recognized by the California Park and Recreation Society as volunteers with the RSVP Bone Builders program with the 2019 Service Award of Excellence: Champions of the Community award. RSVP Bone Builders is a free osteoporosis exercise and education program offered in all four local cities served by Oxnard’s RSVP program.  Volunteers, who must be age 55 or better, help in all capacities of the program, including as master trainers, classroom instructors and the social support system included in each class. In the past fiscal year, RSVP Bone Builders volunteers served over 14,000 hours, the equivalent of nearly seven full-time employees.

On October 28, the House of Representatives passed the Dignity in Aging Act of 2019 (H.R. 4334), which reauthorizes the Older Americans Act (OAA) – key legislation governing the organization and delivery of critical services for senior citizens throughout the nation.

H.R. 4334 promotes seniors’ ability to live independently in their homes by supplying Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) the necessary funds and resources to effectively serve one of our nation’s most vulnerable populations. OAA’s elder care strategy includes comprehensive programs to deliver meals at senior centers, schools and churches. It also includes care to prevent abuse and exploitation of seniors, provides family caregiver support systems and offers community service employment opportunities.

Specifically, the Dignity in Aging Act eliminates the arbitrary cap on the percentage of funding AAAs can use to provide services to older caregivers raising younger relatives. These provisions will be especially beneficial for Kentuckians where, in the midst of the opioid crisis, many older relatives have taken on the responsibilities of raising children whose parents are not present or are unable to take care of them.

“As the lead Republican on this legislation and the lead Republican on the Education and Labor subcommittee of jurisdiction, it has been a privilege to work on this important, bipartisan legislation on behalf of our nation’s seniors. The increased funding authorized through this bill will aid Kentucky’s Area Development Districts – which serve as the AAAs for the Commonwealth – in their efforts to provide a range of comprehensive services to an increasing population of older Americans. My constituency of seniors are engaged, independent contributors to their communities. This legislation will help them maintain that independence and continue to live active, healthy lives in their homes and communities,” Congressman Comer said.

Almost anyone, at any age, can exercise safely and get meaningful benefits. You can be active even if you have a chronic condition, like heart disease, diabetes, or arthritis. Staying safe while you exercise is always important, whether you’re just starting a new activity or haven’t been active for a long time.

Older woman stretching her triceps and smiling

Over-exercising can cause injury, which may lead to quitting. A steady rate of progress is the best approach.

To play it safe and reduce your risk of injury:

Begin your exercise program slowly with low-intensity exercises.

Wear appropriate shoes for your activity.

Warm up before exercising and cool down afterward.

Pay attention to your surroundings when exercising outdoors.

Drink water before, during, and after your workout session, even if you don’t feel thirsty.

Dress appropriately for the temperature outdoors or opt for an indoor activity if it’s very hot or cold.

If you have specific health conditions, discuss your exercise and physical activity plan with your health care provider.

Endurance. Listen to your body. Your breathing may become faster, but you should still be able to talk.

Strength. You will need a chair to do many of the strength exercises on the Go4Life website. Be sure to choose one that is sturdy.

Balance. Have that sturdy chair handy or a person nearby to hold on to for your balance exercises if you feel unsteady.

Flexibility. Always warm up before stretching exercises—a few minutes of walking works well.

Talking with Your Healthcare Provider

Most people don’t need to check with their healthcare provider first before doing physical activity. However, you may want to talk with your healthcare provider if you aren’t active and you want to start a vigorous exercise program or significantly increase your physical activity. Your activity level is an important topic to discuss with your healthcare provider as part of your ongoing health care.

Each year, more than 2 million older Americans go to the emergency room because of fall-related injuries. A simple fall can cause a serious fracture of the arm, hand, ankle, or hip.

But don’t let a fear of falling keep you from exercising and being physically active. Overcoming this fear can help you stay active, maintain your physical health, and prevent future falls. The good news is that there are simple ways you can prevent most falls.

One of the most important ways to prevent falls is to stay physically active. Regular exercise makes you stronger. Weight-bearing activities, such as walking or climbing stairs, may slow bone loss from osteoporosis. Lower-body strength exercises and balance exercises can help you prevent falls and avoid the disability that may result from falling.

Balance exercises can help you prevent falls and avoid the disability that may result from falling. You can do balance exercises almost anytime, anywhere, and as often as you like, as long as you have something sturdy nearby to hold on to for support.

Try these balance exercises: stand on one foot, walk heel to toe, and walk in a straight line with one foot in front of the other. A number of lower-body strength exercises—especially those that strengthen your legs and ankles—also can help improve your balance. These include the back leg raise, side leg raise, knee curl, and toe stand exercises.

In the beginning, using a chair or the wall for support will help you work on your balance safely.

More Fall Prevention Tips

Have your eyes and hearing tested often. Always wear your glasses when you need them. If you have a hearing aid, be sure it fits well, and wear it.

Find out about the side effects of any medicine you take. If a drug makes you sleepy or dizzy, tell your doctor or pharmacist.

Get enough sleep. If you’re sleepy, you’re more likely to fall.

Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Even a small amount can affect balance and reflexes.

Stand up slowly after eating, lying down, or sitting. Getting up too quickly can cause your blood pressure to drop, which can make you feel faint.

Wear rubber-soled, low-heeled shoes that fully support your feet. Wearing only socks or shoes/slippers with smooth soles on stairs or floors without carpet can be unsafe.

by Rick Beavin, California Market President Humana

People with Medicare have until Saturday, Dec. 7 to select their Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan coverage for 2020. To ensure you have the right Medicare plan in place come January 1 of next year, it’s important to focus on these four key questions:

Are my doctors in network? Use online tools to confirm which doctors and hospitals are in a plan’s network. A licensed health insurance agent can also help you see if a specific doctor or hospital is in a plan’s network and taking new patients, and determine what’s in network if you’re a seasonal resident.

Are my prescription drugs covered? Although Original Medicare does not cover most prescription drugs, many Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage, or you can sign up for a Part D Prescription Drug Plan separately. A licensed sales agent can look up the medications you would like covered and help you estimate what the cost of each drug would be on a plan.

What new, innovative benefits are available? Beyond vision, hearing and dental coverage, if you aim to become healthier, look for fitness program benefits as many Medicare Advantage plans offer a gym membership. If you travel or appreciate technology, virtual doctor visits are helpful when you can’t see a doctor right away. Most Medicare Advantage plans now offer transportation to doctor appointments and the gym, when a fitness center membership is offered as a plan benefit.

What if I’m still working? If you or your spouse have health insurance from an employer, you may be able to delay enrolling in Medicare until the employment or the coverage stops. At that point, you would be entitled to a special enrollment period of up to eight months to sign up for Medicare without incurring any late penalties. Talk with your employer to find out how your coverage works with Medicare.

While the clock is ticking until the Dec. 7 Medicare annual enrollment deadline, remember you’re not alone. Take advantage of resources including licensed sales agents and websites such as medicare.gov and www.humana.com/medicare. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (or TTY: 1-877-486-2048) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or call Humana at 1-800-213-5286 (TTY: 711) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time seven days a week.