Match It For Pratchett

The Daily Mail online today (7 October 2008) carries an eloquent article by Terry Pratchett describing the experience of having Alzheimer's. In particular, he talks about the need to remove the stigma attached to dementia. You can read the whole thing at here.

After you've done that, I hope you'll find a quid--or another quid--to donate to the Alzheimer's Association to fund research.

World Alzheimer's Day is a day when Alzheimer's associations around the world concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Currently there are more than 26 million people across the world living with Alzheimer’s and that number will quadruple by 2050.

The first World Alzheimer's Day was in 1994 and it continues to provides an opportunity for the Alzheimer's associations around the globe to unify effort to raise awareness about the disease and its impact on families and to rally people to get involved.

Source: About World Alzheimer's Day

Dr Katzman, a major figure in Alzheimer's research has died.

Alzheimer's was first described in 1906 by the Bavarian psychiatrist Dr. Alois Alzheimer. But it was considered to be a rare form of senile dementia that occurred primarily in patients younger than 65.

During the 1960s, Katzman studied many dementia patients, especially the elderly, and concluded that they had Alzheimer's.

In a seminal 1976 editorial in the journal Archives of Neurology, Katzman concluded that senile dementia was not a normal part of the aging process, as had been believed, but that it was a disease -- in fact, Alzheimer's disease.

From: Obit: Robert Katzman on BrainBlog.

If you are anywhere near Guilford this week, get yourself along to Mort, The Musical. Full details can be found at the composer's website including a couple of songs. The production has already had great reviews.

A great awareness raising activity from a group of knitters*. They have created the Pratchgan, a large knitted blanket made up of individual squares. Full story and photos: The Pratchgan 2008 - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!

Countdown Initiated

• 10
• 9
• 7a
• 7
• 6
• 5
• 4
• 3
• 2
• 1
• Lift off
• Potent Voyager has cleared the tower

Pratchett fans plan to place a satellite in orbit on behalf of the Alzheimer's Research Trust (ART) in an attempt to win the N-Prize. If successful the winnings will go to the ART.

The N-Prize is a low cost take on the Ansari X-Prize. The rules are simple:

The N-Prize is a cash prize of £9, 999.99 (nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine pounds and ninety-nine pence, sterling), which will be awarded to the first person or group to put into orbit, around the Earth, a satellite with a mass of between 9.99 and 19.99 grams, and to prove that it has completed at least 9 orbits. The cost of the launch (but not ground facilities) must fall within a budget of £999.99. Imaginative use of string and chewing gum is encouraged. Entrants are responsible for everything, organisers are responsible for nothing.

The team is called Potent Voyager and according to their website:

We have a concept for a kind of Rockoon that we think has a good chance of succeeding at the N-Prize tho some details need refining. The core team needs to thoroughly check out some more safety, legal and funding issues before we involve others but we may be looking for volunteers from the Discworld fandom community to help us with our goal over the coming months and years (the deadline for the prize is 19:19:09 (GMT) on the 19th September 2011).

The whole concept of the N-Prize is fantastic but for a group of fans to be doing it for Alzheimer's research is absolutely brilliant. They can rely on Match It For Pratchett's support in this endeavor.

Thanks to From Rim To Hub for the info.

Through this website in Paypal donations, t-shirt sales and advertising, Discworld fans around the world have raised $8,921.30

This does not include any donation made directly to the Alzheimer's Research Trust in the UK or to other bodies around the world. You can still donate to the ART by using the Paypal button the right or via the ART's own donation page

A big thank you to everyone who donated, brought t-shirts, sent me information and spread the word via blogs and email. A very big thank you to Fran who helped to hold the fort and a massive thank you to Pat who came up with the idea and started the ball rolling.

Money In
Palpal Donations: $6,464.10
T-Shirt Sales: $2,436.91
Google Adsense: $20.29

Money Out
To ART via Paypal (25/03/08): $6,464.10
To ART via Cheque (02/07/08): $2,231.29
To ART via Cheque (01/08/08): $225.91

I've just put the final cheque for $225.91 to the Alzheimer's Research Trust in an envelope and will be dropping it in the post later today.

In total we sold 201 T-Shirts earning $10 per shirt. On top of that we received a $321.41 volume bonus in May and a $105.50 volume bonus in June. Bringing the amount raised to $2436.91. In July Match It For Pratchett sent a cheque to the ART for $2231.29 leaving a balance of $205.62.

In addition to the $205.62 from T-shirts sales, the final cheque included $20.29 revenue from Google Adsense. All money earned via this website has now been payed to the Alzheimer's Research Trust.

“It sounds funny,” said Old Lions Chairman Franz-Josef Goebel, “but it helps. Our members are 84 years-old on average. Their short-term memory hardly works at all, but the long-term memory is still active. They know the green and yellow bus sign and remember that waiting there means they will go home.” The result is that errant patients now wait for their trip home at the bus stop, before quickly forgetting why they were there in the first place.

“We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later today and invite them in to the home for a coffee,” said Mr Neureither. “Five minutes later they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave.” The idea has proved so successful that it has now been adopted by several other homes across Germany.

It is a clever solution and a makes for a mildly amusing story but most importantly it is a reminder of the true cost of Alzhemier's. The loss of so much mental capacity that a fake bus stop will confound you.

Source: Wayward Alzheimer's patients foiled by fake bus stop via Boing Boing

Brainblog points out an article in the New York Times about Alzheimer's.

Don Hayen has a handy way of deflecting the instant pity that comes when he reveals his Alzheimer's disease: "But I haven't lost my keys all day," he quickly jokes. Hayen is part of a growing new movement in Alzheimer's: Patients diagnosed early enough to still be articulate and demand better care and better research.

Earlier diagnosis giving Alzheimer's a new voice