Alzheimer's Association's new Comfort Zone program for finding the lost

The Alzheimer's Association has a new GPS-based program to help find dementia patients who wander.  It seems like an upgrade to the Safe Return program, which I purchased for my dad.  (I still have his bracelet--I don't know why I wanted it.)
Rather than try to explain it, here's what they sent me:

The Alzheimer's Association Comfort Zone™, powered by Omnilink, is the first comprehensive location management system designed specifically for Alzheimer’s, giving people with the disease more freedom and independence in their community while providing their family some peace of mind.  Comfort Zone is a Web-based application that works with various location devices throughout the progression of the disease to proactively communicate the location of the person with Alzheimer’s within two to 30 minutes.  Comfort Zone also offers families assistance with 24/7 monitoring center services and access to emergency health records from the MedicAlert Foundation.

The price of the Comfort Zone service packages varies, beginning at $42.99 a month with a $45.00 activation fee, similar to most cell phone services.  For more information about Comfort Zone please see the attached press release and fact sheets.  You can also visit the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org/comfortzone. 

At first I was like, $42 a month!  The bracelet I bought my dad was a 1-time $45 fee!  (I think that's changed now, to a per year fee, but I could be wrong.)  Then I reread the most important phrase:

communicate the location of the person with Alzheimer’s within two to 30 minutes

No driving around aimlessly.  No having squadrons of police offices searching.   It doesn't matter if it's dark or cold, GPS will find your loved one.  If that's not worth $42 a month, I don't know what is.  I only had to search for my dad twice--and yes, it was dark and cold one of those time--and while I was driving around, my cell phone illegally in hand, I would have paid any amount of money to just find my dad safe.

(Image from the Comfort Zone web site.)

Alzheimer's clinical trial in Pennsylvania

This study will evaluate an investigational medication for behavior and personality changes in people with Alzheimer's disease.
The research site is in Norristown, Penn.
 http://www.clinicalconnection.com/clinical_trials/condition/alzheimers_disease.aspx.

rate of Alzheimer's is doubling every 20 years

Just came across this article on CBS, saying that the number of Alzheimer's sufferers is doubling every 20 years. Currently 35 million people world wide are afflicted, which is 10% more than had been estimated.

Barring a medical breakthrough, the World Alzheimer Report projects dementia will nearly double every 20 years. By 2050, it will affect a staggering 115.4 million people, the report concludes. ....

The report urges the World Health Organization to declare dementia a health priority and for national governments to follow suit. It recommends major new investments in research to uncover what causes dementia and how to slow, if not stop, the creeping brain disease that gradually robs sufferers of their memories and ability to care for themselves, eventually killing them.
There is no known cure; today's drugs only temporarily alleviate symptoms. Scientists aren't even sure what causes Alzheimer's. 
I have no affiliation with any of the studies I suggest people enroll in..but only by being human guinea pigs can new drugs be tested that can save other people.


(screenprint of article graphic source=article source)

A new clinical trial for those on Namenda in California

I found this on the Spark People website:

If someone you care about is taking Namenda (memantine), you may be interested in this study of an investigational drug for Alzheimer's disease.

The research site is in Newport Beach, Calif.

http://www.clinicalconnection.com/clinical_trials/condition/alzheimers_disease.aspx

new device offers comforts for dementia patients

Jeannette Twomey, inventor of the Kind Reminder, sent me an email recently to tell me about her product.  It's a little device that plays a recorded message with the push of a large button.  The caregiver can leave a simple message like, "It's Tuesday and I'll see you at 5 p.m." or any information that the dementia patient may need to access frequently.
The recorder is inexpensive and 5% of the purchase price goes to the Alzheimer's Association. If my dad was still alive, I'd have no problem shelling out $20 for this!  Maybe if he had had a recording of my voice to carry around, he wouldn't have forgotten me.   
For more information, visit the website or send an email to contact@kindreminder.com