• Home
  • About me / Privacy Disclosure
    • Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk Info
    • Contact Us| Or Ask a Question on Facebook
  • The Stages of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimers Support

Learning and sharing information to support those with Alzheimers dementia

  • Just me…
  • The Stages
    • Late Stage
    • Middle Stage
    • Early Stage
  • Questions
    • How to Take the Car Away
  • Best Reads
  • Communication
  • Care Tips
    • Healthy Diet
    • Medical
  • The Caregiver
    • Caring for the Caregiver
    • Memories Forgotten
  • Signs and Symptoms
  • In the News
  • Health and Aging
  • Alzheimer’s Clocks
  • Activities
    • Activities for those with Alzheimers or Dementia
    • Activities to Share with a loved one who has Dementia
    • Best Gifts for those with Alzheimer’s Dementia
    • 5 Activities to Keep Hands Busy for thse with Alzheimer’s or Other dementias
    • Does Mom with Alzheimer’s Need a Baby doll?
    • Baby Dolls Crafted for dementia and the Elderly
  • Holidays and Gifts
    • How to Choose Fun Gifts for Seniors with Alzheimer’s
    • Best Gifts for Caregivers
    • Best Gifts for Elderly People with Alzheimer’s
    • A few Great Gift Ideas for those with dementia
    • Alzheimer’s Digital Clock keeps time for those with dementia
    • Alzheimer’s Fidget Quilts for Sale Online
    • Chocolate may Soothe Anger in Alzheimer’s
You are here: Home / News / Will the US follow the UK when it comes to funding Dementia and Alzheimer’s ?

Will the US follow the UK when it comes to funding Dementia and Alzheimer’s ?

06/181 Comment

From an article in Mail Online from the UK, we learn that millions of Alzheimer’s sufferers may be denied treatment in the near future.

“The European College of Neuropsychopharmacology says that unless urgent action is taken a whole generation could be left without the drugs needed to improve their lives and give them, and their families, hope for the future.”

Big Drug companies tend to do as much as 80% of funding for reasearch and that funding tends to focus more on lucrative diseases like cancer. Although Cancer costs their economy half the amount of brain disease–it receives twice the funding from European governments.

Besides a stigma associated with psychiatric disease, there seems to be the same disdain for other brain diseases such as Parkinson’s, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Even the public does not donate to these organizations in the same way it donates to illnesses such as Cancer or Heart Disease.

Some wonder if the contrast may also have to do with the fact that brain research is aimed more at improving quality of life rather than extending it. Disease such as Alzheimer’s has no cure, but much research needs to be done to find better medications to control symptms. On the other hand, funding and research for Cancer can lead directly to a cure and longevity of life. When results such as this are shown, funding increases.

“GlaxoSmithKline and Astra Zeneca have both pulled out of brain research in the UK.  Merck has closed its neuroscience plant in the south of Scotland and Pfizer is closing its research and development operation in Sandwich, Kent, ” says the Daily Mail.

Professor David Nutt, of Imperial College London, said: “It is dark days for brain science. What we must not forget is that if you stop this research you will have a dead space for 20 or 30 years and that would be really foolhardy.”

A a few solutions that have been been suggested range from the idea to rename some of the brain disorders to remove any stigma attached, to encouraging the pharmaceutical companies to share brain research with university experts.

Many from the US and UK are striving for a greater public awareness of Alzheimer’s; Symptoms and vulerabilities of the population in general. For generations it was thought that Alzheimer’s was nothing more than an old person’s disease and an inevitable part of aging. Requests for funding fell mostly on deaf ears since most did not see the need.

That sort of thinking does appear to be changing—slowly. Still– further action is needed to build on this momentum and ensure the amount spent on dementia and Alzheimer’s matches that spent on other diseases.

At the Alzheimer’s Association in the US the online donation form is fast, easy and secure. You can make a general donation, a tribute/memorial donation to honor someone, or a monthly gift.

Alzheimer’s Association

—————————————————————————————————-

 

 

—————————————————————————————————

 

Related Posts

  • Is Alzheimer's Inherited?
  • Fund for Alzheimer's Research Established at UT
  • New Brain tests may predict Alzheimer's disease

Filed Under: News Tagged With: funding, research

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Categories

Most of Those with Dementia love Music

Email Updates

Most Recent Articles

  • Answering Your Questions
  • Form a Network of Support when dealing with Alzheimer’s
  • Lesser Known Early Signs of Alzheimer’s
  • Healthy diet and exercise equal sound sleep for the aging
  • 8 Things Can Change How You Approach Caregiving
  • 6 Warning Signs in Elderly Should Never be Ignored
  • Thank you to Nancy Madaris!
  • Home Test for Alzheimer’s – Will You Take the Test?

Let Them Listen to a Favorite Book

Most Viewed Articles

The Dementia Epidemic at a Glance and The Future

Can your aging parent with dementia live alone?

Why Mom’s Shoes Need No Strings Attached

Being a full-time CareGiver can make you sick – 5 things you can do about it

The Smart Phone App for early Memory Loss

An update on Rick Phelps; Videos, Washington, and more

Avoid Caregiver Stress Syndrome – Part II

Early Signs and Symptoms of Dementia Dismissed as Simple Aging

Copyright © 2021 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in