Must reads

• A December 12, 2013 USA Today article reported that "More than 8 million people (mostly women and mostly older than 65) used services of a long-term care provider last year, according to the first-ever compilation of federal data profiling the types of providers in the USA and the people who use them." According to the article, "The report finds that "a sizable portion of service users" in all five types of facility sectors had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, ranging from about 30% of home health patients to almost half of nursing home residents."
• A December 12, 2013 Bloomberg article reported further on Merck's efforts to determine and treat the fundamental cause of Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Merck & Co. (MRK) is putting the prevailing theory on the cause of Alzheimer’s to a test with two studies in thousands of people that may, once and for all, determine whether the amyloid tangles that grow in the brain spur the disease or are simply an outgrowth. Merck’s experimental drug, called MK-8931, reduces amyloid, a hallmark sign of the illness, by as much as 90 percent, an unprecedented effect. The new trials, announced this week following a three-month review in 200 patients, seek to enroll more than 3,000 people and will run from 18 months to two years."
• A December 11, 2013 Huffington Post article reported that researchers at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco "are exploring a new approach to Alzheimer's treatment that will tackle an unexplored protein that is closely linked to the disease."

• A December 11, 2013 CBS News article reported that G8 leaders pledged to find a cure for Alzheimer's by 2025. According to the article, "Meeting at the first G8 Dementia Summit in London, ministers and health officials said that the amount spent globally on research would “significantly increase” in the run up to the goal." Notable coverage by: CBS News, Al Jazeera, and Deutsche Welle. 
• World Leaders Make Historic Commitment to Stop Dementia by 2025 at Landmark G8 Summit [CEOi Press Release] (12/11/13)