A New Alzheimer’s Drug Offers Hope
A company called Biogen has been conducting trials on a new drug that they believe holds promise for helping those who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. This tragic condition affects millions of elderly Americans, and the number afflicted is only expected to go up over the years as the median age of our population continues to rise.
Conflicting Data
Biogen had conducted a couple of studies on this new drug called Aducanumab. It works on the long-established theory that Alzheimer’s is caused by a buildup of the protein known as amyloid. This is believed to have a causal relationship with the disease because it’s found in large quantities in the brain of individuals who had been afflicted with it.
The track record of drugs based on this theory has been far from stellar. In fact, no successful drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s have come out yet, and the amyloid hypothesis has been the basis for most if not all of them. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Biogen ran two trials, and one showed promising results while the other one did not.
The First Step on a Long Road
Even if the positive trial is proven to be true with further testing, the effects of the new drug are expected to be modest. It has been likened by some researchers to the first airplane. It proved that flight was possible, but later improvements should vastly increase its efficacy. Also, because the amyloid line of research had not shown much in the way of results until now, this may open the door to other companies continuing their drug research along similar lines.
The company is seeking FDA approval to start selling it, but this can be a long process, and there is still more testing to be done. Whether this particular drug is approved or not, it does offer hope to the millions of Alzheimer’s sufferers in the United States and across the world for eventual relief. That being said, there are families having to deal with this affliction today.
Alzheimer’s Care in Southern New Jersey
While Aducanumab and better drugs in the future hold exciting promise for the eventual arrival of a day without Alzheimer’s disease, millions of Americans need to know what to do today to care for an elderly parent suffering from its debilitating effects. Many will opt for putting them in an assisted living facility or what has traditionally been called a nursing home. For residents of Southern New Jersey, however, there is a better option.
Some find that the confusion and frustration created by the symptoms of this disease can be aggravated by suddenly removing your loved one to an unfamiliar environment. The best solution is to find a way to enable them to continue living at home while seeing to it that all of their needs are met. Home to Stay Health Care Solutions provides this answer for families in Southern New Jersey.
Home to Stay Health Care Solutions is based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. We have been providing in-home care for seniors in this area for three decades. Over this time, we have learned exactly what types of care and array of services that your elderly loved one will need to be able to live their twilight years as independently and happily as possible.
Senior Care Services That Families Need
Our well-trained and compassionate caregivers provide personal and home care services to handle those things that your elderly parents no longer can. Those simple tasks that most of us take for granted, such as light housekeeping and meal preparation and doing laundry, that become difficult to impossible for those who are either disabled or too frail from advanced age. We also offer personal care services along the lines of helping them with bathing and dressing as well as helping them from their chair or wheelchair into bed and back again.
We all hope for a future without Alzheimer’s or at least one where there are drugs sufficient to control its symptoms. In the here and now, however, there is a professional, compassionate in-home care option from a company like Home to Stay Health Care Solutions. Beyond the above-mentioned services, our AlzBetter program is a patent-pending Alzheimer’s care system that enables us to determine your loved one’s current level of dementia and tailor activities and tasks that keep them engaged. If you live in the Southern New Jersey area and are hard-pressed for care for your aging loved one, please give us a call. We can adapt our services to your needs. We can either provide hourly care or full-time live-in care. We’ll determine your needs and then see how we can best meet them.
