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Miami Jewish Health Gives Alzheimer’s Patients

Hope Through Clinical Trials

Frank and Juanita of Miami have been through a lifetime of ups and downs during Miami Jewish Health is especially ideal
their 60 years of marriage, but they never expected the devastation of Alzheimer’s dis- for clinical trials because the healthcare
ease. facility is on the verge of building the first-
After 80-year-old Juanita was diagnosed with the incurable, memory-robbing illness, of-its-kind village environment in the
the couple turned to clinical trials for a possible solution. United States for individuals with demen-
They found hope at Miami Jewish Health in research that may someday point the way tia. Construction of The S. Donald
to a cure. Juanita is enrolled in one of a dozen or so ongoing clinical trials for Alzheimer’s Sussman EmpathiCare Village will start in
at the renowned Miami healthcare facility. 2020, highlighting the need for a cure.
“It gives us hope but it will also benefit other folks who are suffering from the same
issue,” Frank said. Offering Hope for the Future
“The great purpose is we are trying to
The Answer is Research find a cure for Alzheimer’s. We are trying to
Juanita’s short-term memory is fading and sometimes she’s agitated. Frank hopes the advance the science and hopefully get to a
knowledge gained from the clinical trial she's enrolled in will someday change the future cure or at least something that halts it, Frank and Juanita
for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It’s what keeps him feeling positive. which we don’t currently have,” Castañeda said.
Marc E. Agronin, M.D., a geriatric psychiatrist and Alzheimer’s expert, who runs the Juanita and Frank taught school for more than 60 years combined, parented a boy and
Memory and Research Center at Miami Jewish Health, believes research is the only a girl and are now grandparents with two great grandchildren on the way. Alzheimer’s
answer. runs on both sides of their family, so finding a cure may also benefit their descendants.
“The only way we will find an effective treatment or cure for Alzheimer’s disease is “There’s a lot of people who are afraid of studies but I look at it to do something pos-
through clinical trials. There is no other route,” said Agronin, who’s written multiple itive for Juanita,” Frank said. “I know 50 years ago there were many diseases that were
books on the complexities of aging including “The End of Old Age.” “It's critically impor- killing us. Through these studies, we are living longer.”
tant for there to be the ongoing development of multiple research pathways to try to treat Richard Isaacson, M.D., a neurologist and director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic
Alzheimer’s disease, but we also need a willing pool of individuals with Alzheimer’s to at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian, believes all patients with
volunteer as subjects.” Alzheimer’s disease, and those at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, should partici-
Clinical trial participants already have access to caregiver support groups, brain fitness pate in clinical trials. The reason? Hope and optimism.
training, a social club and mental health treatment on site, Agronin noted. “Just because we don’t have a cure today doesn’t mean we are not going to have a pre-
"We offer one-stop shopping. From evaluation to comprehensive management to sup- ventative therapy or cure tomorrow. The only way we can find these treatments is to have
port,” Agronin said. people participate in clinical trials,” Isaacson said.
“There is a lot of promise on the horizon and we are hoping that, with continued par-
ticipation with people in studies, we will have a breakthrough,” added Ricardo Do you have a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, or are you 60 years or older
Castañeda, PharmD, the facility’s director of clinical research. and at risk for developing the disease? Call (305) 795-8446 for information on clinical trials.

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South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com November 2018 27