Latest news with #Alzheimer's
Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin News Digest: Hanover Township launches respite program for caregivers; Elgin police doing walk-and-talks on fireworks fines, safety
Hanover Township has launched a respite program for local caregivers through its Caregiver Resource Center. Using $20,724 in funding from the nonprofit AgeOptions, the township can connect caregivers with such services as in-home day relief, in-home overnight assistance and out-of-home care, according to a news release. 'Respite services provide assistance to caregivers to prevent burnout and offer an opportunity to recharge and rest,' township Supervisor Brian McGuire said in the release. Respite services are available for anyone caring for a township resident who is at least 60 years old or has Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Parents over 55, grandparents or a caregiver who is 60 or older caring for a township youth with severe disabilities can also apply as can caregivers who are 60 or older and providing care to someone with a severe disability between the ages of 19 and 59, the release said. To schedule an intake appointment, call 630-483-5660. Elgin police officers are conducting fireworks walk-and-talks in areas of the city with high numbers of fireworks-related complaints. The outreach efforts will continue over the next few weeks as a way to share safety information about the dangers and consequences of illegal fireworks, according to an Elgin Police Department social media post. Setting off fireworks in the city carries a minimum fine of $150 for a first offense and goes as high as $1,500 after a fourth offense in a 12-month period, according to city ordinances. To make a fireworks complaint, call 847-289-2700 or fill out the online fireworks complaint form at Greenheart Exchange, a 40-year-old nonprofit international student exchange program, is seeking families in and around East Dundee willing to house students from China July 27 through Aug. 10. Tammy Zilinski, area coordinator for Green Exchange, said 14 high school students with J-1 visas and a male adult chaperone will be coming to the area for a two-week immersive language and culture program at Fox Valley Baptist Church in East Dundee, where her husband, Phil, is pastor. Housing is still needed for more than half of the students and for the chaperone, Zilinski said. 'A host family will need to make sure that their student is at Fox Valley Baptist for language camp from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day,' she said. 'We are happy to help with carpooling if we find groups of families in one area.' Host families will provide three meals a day and a suitable place to sleep, which can be a room shared with another child of the same gender and close in age. A background check is required as part of the application, which can be found at For more information, call Zilinski at 847-489-8426. Symond-Madison Funeral Home in Elgin is raising money to cover the cost of installing a grave marker for Cpl. Eriverto Ortiz, a Korean War vet buried at Bluff City Cemetery. Ortiz was killed in combat in September 1950, but his remains could not be recovered at the time. They were positively identified in 2023 and returned to his family in October 2024 for burial in Elgin. The U.S. government is providing the grave marker free of charge but does not pay the $3,000 installation expense, which includes a permit fee and marker foundation, according to the post about the fundraising effort. To make a contribution, go to
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Man, 55, diagnosed with dementia after doctor noticed one sign before diagnosis
Jim Rogers, 58, was living and working in Australia when he started to develop symptoms of the incurable neurological condition early-onset dementia after his doctor noticed one sign A simple query from a doctor about his mobile set a dad-of-three on the road to a dementia diagnosis. Jim Rogers, 58, initially from the UK but residing and working in Australia, was passing on his expertise in house renovations when he began showing signs of the untreatable neurological condition. Colleagues and Jim's partner, Tyler, first spotted tell-tale symptoms which led him to consult his heart specialist, suspecting work or stress may be at fault. However, during his visit, it was his cardiologist who noted a worrying habit indicating something more serious, reports Surrey Live. He shared with ABC News: "One day I went to my cardiologist and she was getting a bit p***ed off with me because my phone was constantly going off. "She was like: 'Can you put it on silent?' And I had this blank where I couldn't even work it out. And it was her that said to me: 'Are you experiencing problems like this?' "So, she then referred me to a memory clinic. They analyse all sorts of things about the way you perceive information, they sent me for brain scans, they do all sorts of stuff. They asked me to have an appointment with the neurologist." Jim's subsequent tests led to a formal diagnosis of young-onset dementia, and he has been dedicated to increasing awareness of the condition since. Jim, diagnosed with dementia at the age of 55, suspects he lived with symptoms for up to two years before he received an official diagnosis Reflecting on the moment when he and his husband Tyler grappled with the diagnosis, Jim opened up about the initial shock. He recalled: "I think I was having symptoms for a couple of years until I actually got my diagnosis. "I looked at Ty and he was clearly very upset and so I knew it was heavy, but I didn't know much about Alzheimer's. I just thought it was an old person's disease." Jim sharing his story came just days after Australia greenlit a new medication for early-stage Alzheimer's, a drug called Kisunla. Approved by the Australian medical authorities, Kisunla stands out as a beacon of hope albeit with cautionary advice from experts such as Professor Christopher Rowe who spoke to The Guardian regarding the drug's potential limitations. He said: "We actually estimate that only about 10 to 20 percent of people with dementia will be suitable for the drug, but that is still a huge number given there's 400,000 people in Australia with dementia, and probably 40,000 diagnosed every year." Jim's candid disclosure follows shortly after this significant development in treating Alzheimer's Disease in its early stages, offering a glimpse of optimism amidst challenges surrounding treatment eligibility and costs – for those who do qualify, they may face an $80,000 bill (just over £38,000) for the therapy. The NHS lists several common early symptoms of dementia to watch out for on their website. They include: memory loss difficulty concentrating finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word being confused about time and place mood changes The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which has its own set of symptoms, including: memory problems, such as regularly forgetting recent events, names and faces asking questions repetitively increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require organisation and planning becoming confused in unfamiliar environments difficulty finding the right words difficulty with numbers and/or handling money in shops becoming more withdrawn or anxious For further details about dementia and for assistance and support, visit the NHS website.
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Reason behind accounting ‘mistakes'
Guy Sebastian's former manager 'made mistakes' in accounting towards the end of the pair's tumultuous relationship because his mother had become ill, the period marking the 'hardest time in (his) life'. Titus Emanuel Day is standing trial for allegedly embezzling $640,000 of Mr Sebastian's royalties and performance fees, including the alleged failure to remit $187,000 to Mr Sebastian for performance fees as a support act for Swift on her 2013 Red tour of Australia and other corporate gigs and performances. Mr Day has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant and one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. He has denied doing anything fraudulent or dishonest. Mr Day took the stand to give evidence-in-chief on Friday, telling the court how issues had begun to 'creep in' to his management company, 6 Degrees, as a result of pressure sparked by his mother's declining health around 2016. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos JUNE 4, 2025. Titus Day (C) arrives at the Downing Centre Court on Wednesday. Guy Sebastianí•s former manager Titus Day is standing trial on allegations he embezzled money from the pop star. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire - 05 JUNE 2025: Guy Sebastian leaves the Downing Centre in Sydney. Christian Gilles / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia He told the court his mother was diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's dementia around 2015. By the time she came to live with he and his family in 2016 she was so ill she was in a 'zombie state', prompting his wife, Courtney, to effectively step aside from her work at the company to care for his mother. The court was told his wife played a 'critical' role at 6 Degrees, with her duties ranging across creative work such as video clips, music production, songwriting production and dealing with record labels: when she left, Mr Day had to 'pick up all the slack' and delegate work to other staff. Another high level employee also had to step aside to care for Mr Day's mother at one point. 'Personally this was probably the hardest time in my life,' Mr Day told the court. He said all of his clients 'suffered' as a result, and that he'd made some accounting 'mistakes' during this period and could no longer be with clients on tours. 'Because my attention was taken away, but also spread thin, it affected all my clients - all my clients suffered,' Mr Day told the court. 'My accounting slipped, I wasn't able to send statements or invoices…I made mistakes in transactions and banking descriptions.' He spoke of one example where he accidentally paid Mr Sebastian money from another of his clients, Nigerian-Australian singer Timomatic, and then paid Timomatic money from Mr Sebastian. Titus Day told the court issues began to 'creep in' to his management company, 6 Degrees, as a result of pressure sparked by his mother's declining health. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia '(I) made a lot of mistakes on banking descriptions…a lot of issues started to creep into the company because of the pressure,' Mr Day said. Mr Day's barrister, Thomas Woods, earlier told the court that there would be 'no dispute' that on some occasions his client should have transferred money onto Mr Sebastian 'but did not'. 'For many of the charges, the real question is not going to be whether my client failed to transfer the money to Sebastian but whether his failure to do that was criminal,' Mr Woods said. The former manager's evidence-in-chief regarding the 'mistakes' mentioned on Friday is expected to continue next week. Mr Day has denied doing anything fraudulent or dishonest. In terms of business growth, Mr Day told the court 2016 was the company's busiest and most successful time, having taken on a range of clients across music, sports and media. He said it was an 'extremely busy' time and he was personally receiving more than 300 emails per day, acknowledging he had 'a lot less' time to devote to Mr Sebastian as opposed to the early years of their agreement. Guy Sebastian arrives at the Downing Centre Court. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia The 'really big shift' in the pair's relationship Mr Sebastian moved over to Mr Day's management company 6 Degrees three years after winning Australian Idol, having worked with him previously at Mr Day's former agency, 22 Management. No formal agreement was signed, but the court was told their agreement was based on Mr Sebastian's former arrangement with 22 Management. The Battle Scars singer, who was once so close with Mr Day he considered them to be a 'a family of sorts', earlier claimed he'd sent several emails to Mr Day around 2016 over concerns with their relationship, telling the court there was a 'really big shift' between them around that time. In particular Mr Sebastian claimed documents, statements and invoices 'were not being sent anymore'. 'That side of it and then some cultural issues that were happening as well and just a general shift in the service I was being provided,' Mr Sebastian previously told the court. 'I understand (6 Degrees) were getting busier as a company and that the list of clients had grown … that was starting to have some real ramifications on my business and personally as well. 'I was trying really hard to remedy these issues.' Mr Sebastian told Mr Day that he was leaving his management in 2017, the court was previously told. Mr Sebastian launched Federal Court proceedings against Mr Day the following year. He in turn filed a counterclaim.
Fox News
7 hours ago
- Health
- Fox News
Bill Gates reveals 'next phase of Alzheimer's fight' as he shares dad's personal battle
Bill Gates is speaking out about his personal experience with Alzheimer's — and his hope for progress in fighting the disease. In an essay published this week on his blog at the Microsoft co-founder and tech billionaire, 69, reflected on the difficulty of spending another Father's Day without his dad, Bill Gates Sr. The elder Gates passed away in 2020 at the age of 94 after battling Alzheimer's. "It was a brutal experience, watching my brilliant, loving father go downhill and disappear," Gates wrote in the blog post. Today, motivated by his own experience with the common dementia, Gates — who serves as chair of the Gates Foundation — is committed to working toward a cure for the common dementia, which currently affects more than seven million Americans, or one in nine people over 65. In his blog, Gates expressed optimism about the "massive progress" being made in the fight against Alzheimer's and other dementias. Last year, Gates said he visited Indiana University's School of Medicine in Indianapolis to tour the labs where teams have been researching Alzheimer's biomarkers. "I also got the opportunity to look under the hood of new automated machines that will soon be running diagnostics around the world," he wrote. "It's an exciting time in a challenging space." One of the biggest breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research, according to Gates, is blood-based diagnostic tests, which detect the ratio of amyloid plaques in the brain. (Amyloid plaques, clumps of protein that accumulate in the brain, are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's.) "I'm optimistic that these tests will be a game-changer," Gates wrote. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first blood-based test for patients 55 years and older, as Fox News Digital reported at the time. "A simple, accurate and easy-to-run blood test might one day make routine screening possible." Traditionally, Gates noted, the primary path to Alzheimer's diagnosis was either a PET scan (medical imaging) or spinal tap (lumbar puncture), which were usually only performed when symptoms emerged. The hope is that blood-based tests could do a better job of catching the disease early, decline begins. "We now know that the disease begins 15 to 20 years before you start to see any signs," Gates wrote. "A simple, accurate and easy-to-run blood test might one day make routine screening possible, identifying patients long before they experience cognitive decline," he stated. Gates said he is often asked, "What is the point of getting diagnosed if I can't do anything about it?" To that end, he expressed his optimism for the future of Alzheimer's treatments, noting that two drugs — Lecanemab (Leqembi) and Donanemab (Kisunla) — have gained FDA approval. "Both have proven to modestly slow down the progression of the disease, but what I'm really excited about is their potential when paired with an early diagnostic," Gates noted. He said he is also hopeful that the blood tests will help speed up the process of enrolling patients in clinical trials for new Alzheimer's drugs. To accomplish this, Gates is calling for increased funding for research, which often comes from federal grants. "This is the moment to spend more money on research, not less," he wrote, also stating that "the quest to stop Alzheimer's has never had more momentum." "There is still a huge amount of work to be done — like deepening our understanding of the disease's pathology and developing even better diagnostics," Gates went on. "I am blown away by how much we have learned about Alzheimer's over the last couple of years." Gates pointed out that when his father had Alzheimer's, it was considered a "death sentence," but that is starting to change. "I am blown away by how much we have learned about Alzheimer's over the last couple of years," he wrote. For more Health articles, visit "I cannot help but be filled with a sense of hope when I think of all the progress being made on Alzheimer's, even with so many challenges happening around the world. We are closer than ever before to a world where no one has to watch someone they love suffer from this awful disease."
The Province
9 hours ago
- Health
- The Province
Do you struggle to lift five kilograms? Your health could be at risk, study finds
Years-long study of more than 50,000 adults over 50 found that struggling to lift that weight was associated with a host of medical problems down the line An average-sized house cat is about the right weight for this test if you don't have an actual five-kilogram weight available, or, say, two 2.5 kg bags of flour. Photo by Getty Images Scientists at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates have devised a simple test that they can say can predict an increased risk of developing a host of health problems in older adults. All you have to do is try to pick up a five-kilogram weight. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Struggle with that, they say, and you have a significantly higher risk of experiencing a lower quality of life, higher rates of depression, chronic lung diseases, hip fractures, joint disorders, high cholesterol, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, osteoarthritis and more. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports under a no-nonsense title: 'The simple task of lifting five kilograms serves as a predictor of age-related disorders in old adults.' The large-scale study involved 51,536 'geriatric adults' — that is to say 50 and older, a definition that may annoy some — from 14 European countries as well as Israel. It was a roughly even split between men and women, with about a third of the group aged between 60 and 69, another third between 70 and 79, and the rest younger or older. (About 4 per cent were 90 and above.) Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Participants were asked to report if they had difficulty lifting five kilograms in 2013 — 80.5 per cent said they did not — and were then followed for several years to see which diseases developed among each group. For a given disease, participants were excluded if they already had it in the baseline year. Take high blood pressure. In 2013, just under 60 per cent of the group were free of a diagnosis of high blood pressure. Of those, 21.5 per cent went on to develop it. But among the participants who had trouble lifting the weight when the study began, that number amounted to 26.2 per cent. For hip fractures, the overwhelming majority (97 per cent) did not have one when the study started. But in the years that followed, 3.5 per cent of those who had trouble lifting the weight experienced a hip fracture, versus just 1.5 per cent of those who did not struggle with the weight. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Parsing the data between younger and older ages, the researchers found that men and women under 65 who had trouble lifting five kilograms were most at risk of developing depression, low quality of life, low hand-grip strength (which can also indicate risks of other diseases) and Alzheimer's. For older men and women who struggled with the weight, risk of Alzheimer's dropped somewhat while the other three conditions remained top of list. But for almost every condition the researchers tracked, struggling to lift five kilograms at the start of the study was a clear indicator of greater risk at the end. The only diseases that didn't fit the pattern were cancer and diabetes, where risk did not change. The reason for the design of the study was simple. 'Muscle weakness is a risk factor for multiple diseases,' the researchers wrote in their report. 'However, most protocols to assess muscle weakness require clinical settings. A difficulty lifting 5 kg may be a simple measure of muscle weakness in domestic settings. However, no relevant study on assessing muscle weakness has been reported.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. They aimed to fill that gap. 'We suggest that difficulty lifting 5 kg may be a valuable indicator of muscle weakness and poor health in domestic settings. Our findings strongly suggest that this simple, everyday test could be a valuable early indicator of overall health and potential future health challenges.' If you're looking to try this test at home and don't have a five-kilogram weight handy, there are a number of household objects that come in at about the same mass, including a metal folding chair, a gallon of paint, two reams of printer paper or two bags of flour (conveniently marked 2.5 kg each).The average house cat also tips the scales at about five kilograms, if you can get your hands on one. Read More Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here.
