Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: No Giving Up

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. The most common cause of dementia in older adults, it afflicts more than 6 million adults aged 65 and older in the United States. As the population ages, the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is rising fast. So far, there’s no cure.

If you know, or know of, someone with Alzheimer’s, you may understand that they have trouble doing everyday activities, like driving or cooking. They can become worried, angry, or even violent. Ultimately, the disease is fatal—the seventh leading cause of U.S. deaths.

And there are racial disparities. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, older Black Americans are twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or another dementia as older white Americans. Older Hispanic adults are 1.5 times as likely to have the disease as older white adults.

How can we persist in the face of this seemingly intractable disease? Fortunately, a lot of scientific brain power at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), its grantees, and elsewhere is dedicated to finding better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat ADRD. As with much of science, there have been ups and downs—but no giving up. The opening of the NIH Intramural Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD) is a recent step toward beating these dreaded diseases.

JBS International, Inc. communicated the progress of federally supported Alzheimer’s research for decades in many forms. From fact sheets and phone calls to social media and meeting support, we offered information and resources to help people with Alzheimer’s, their families, other caregivers, health professionals, and researchers. We developed relationships with federal researchers and patient advocacy groups in the ADRD world. We learned what matters most to our diverse audiences. 

JBS’s Health Action team offers a wealth of communications services related to Alzheimer’s and other health conditions. With a combination of subject matter expertise and mastery of communications strategies and methods, we provide broad information and dissemination services:

• Public inquiry response—JBS’s highly trained staff listens carefully and zeroes in on just the right resources and support for inquirers who contact us via email, phone, live chat, or mail. 
• Content development and dissemination—We write, edit, design, and produce evidence-based, appealing, print and web content for target audiences. In the ADRD space, these materials include the popular Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease: Your Easy to Use Guide, a comprehensive guide for home-based caregivers.
• Outreach—JBS uses Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms to get out the messages and then analyzes their effectiveness to inform overall communications strategy. We also plan and executive national media campaigns and events.
• Website development, design, and hosting—Our in-house information technology team, web administrators, and analytics experts kept the National Institute on Aging website running smoothly and guided the client through Drupal updates, redesigns, and other upgrades.
• Warehousing and materials storage and distribution—The JBS warehouse has flexible, state-of-the-art capacity to store exhibits, publications, and other materials and to handle daily catalog orders efficiently. 

Addressing public health challenges such as ADRD is deeply ingrained in JBS’s history and DNA. We strive every day to help patients, caregivers, and others by meeting their need for excellent information and resources.