Opportunity for Eldercare Professionals and Family Caregivers to Participate in Alzheimer's Research Clinical Trial
From Valerie: One of our clients, Bob O’Toole sent this to me- I am passing it on to all of you in hopes that you will participate!!
Informed Eldercare Decisions recently signed a contract to provide ongoing consultant services to a major Alzheimer’s research firm. Our client has successfully completed the first 2 phases of research trials, known as the ICARA study, on a breakthrough drug to treat Alzheimer’s.(If you watched the HBO Alzheimer’s Special recently, the drug, Bapineuzumab, along with the ELAN research team, was prominently featured.)
They have now received approval from the FDA to move into Stage III of the drug trials which allows them to expand the scope of the research nationwide and in Canada.
Our role in the project is to identify potential participants in the Stage III trial and assure their ongoing commitment and compliance with the clinical protocols. Participants will include elders who are showing signs of mild to moderate dementia and a designated caregiver. (Residents of dementia units would not be suitable as they are likely to be at a more advanced stage than the research criteria requires.)
We can recruit and screen subjects using home care agencies, assisted living residents, adult day health programs, and geriatric care managers.
There is an opportunity for geriatric care managers, assisted living facilities and home care agencies to play an active role in this project as well as other clinical trials in the near future. This could include helping us to follow subjects and family caregivers who are either living at home, or in assisted living facilities for 18 months.
There are some significant advantages for elder care professionals to participate in this study as it will be receiving widespread media coverage as the trial progresses.
This is the first time that the scientific community involved with cutting edge research on illnesses that primarily affect elders has worked with a nationwide network of eldercare professionals. We at Informed Eldercare Decisions believe that the time has come for professionals who interface with those most likely to benefit from this research to play an active role in these studies. This new partnership between the provider community and the research community also opens up new revenue opportunities for both non-profit and for profit eldercare agencies.
Rather than try to describe the project in any more detail in this newsletter, I encourage you to review an excerpt from the HBO Alzheimer’s Special that specifically describes the breakthrough research we are now involved with.
If you think you or your agency or eldercare professional practice would be interested in exploring participation in these studies further please review the following excerpt from the HBO broadcast.
“Inflammation, the Immune System, and Alzheimer’s”
(Approx. 29:23 min) Featuring: Joseph Rogers, PhD-Banner Sun Health Research Institute; Dale Schenk, PhD- and his research team at Elan Pharmaceuticals.
You can view the video by placing either of the following links into your URL locator.
http://www.hbo.com/alzheimers/supplementary-inflammation-the-immune-system-and-alzheimers.html or at http://tinyurl.com/qq8×3h
An Invitation for Eldercare Professionals(home care providers, assisted living facilities and geriatric care managers), to sit in on a 40 minute discussion on how eldercare professionals are getting involved with Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials and other cutting edge research on illnesses affecting elders.
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Time: 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: You can participate from your home or office by simply dialing into the teleconference.
For more information visit http://www.elderlifeplanning.com/ or email Bob@elderlifeplanning.com
As mentioned in the article above, there are some significant opportunities for elder care agencies to participate in the research studies that were prominently featured in the HBO Alzheimer’s Special in May.
The study will continue to receive widespread national publicity.
During this 40 minute informational webinar on Wednesday we’ll provide a brief overview of the role that providers can play. Senior management and research personnel from ELAN pharmaceuticals will be on the call to answer any questions you may have.
I hope you can be on the call and will invite other eldercare professionals whom you feel may be interested to sit in as well. We’ll provide the call in number and conference code as well as a web site to view if you happen to be at a computer.
You can view the visuals from a computer but a PC isn’t required. You can participate in the call from wherever you happen to be.
Let me know if you’d like to be on the call and I’ll send you the conference call number and log in details.
I hope you can join us,
Warm regards,
Bob O’Toole
Do you know of someone currently in the early to
mid-stage of Alzheimer’s Disease? If so, they may be offered an opportunity to particpate in the Stage III clinical trial of what could be a major breakthrough in the treatment of this disease?
The recent HBO Special on Alzheimer’s disease,
especially the exciting news about new drugs that may be
approved to help Alzheimer’s patients, has created
significant interest from caregivers who want to know
how a loved one with Alzheimer’s might be included in
the next stage of the clinical trial.
The information gained from this study could help future
patients who need this type of medical care.
Participants may receive the investigational drug,
physical exams, and laboratory services and tests, at no
charge. Throughout the study, participants will be
monitored by a medical team including a nurse or study
coordinator and a physician. Participants will be
randomized to receive the investigational drug or
placebo (a treatment with no active ingredient).
If you know of anyone in your current caseload or in
your own family that might like to particpiate in the
study, have them send their contact information to
Bob@elderlifeplanning.com.
If they appear to qualify for this study, a referral
will be made to a medical research center conducting the
trial in their area.
