Dear Abby: Readers call for action to protect neglected senior

DEAR READERS: The mailbox was bursting with responses to the Oct. 9 letter from Frustrated Neighbor, whose 94-year-old neighbor is bedridden and nominally cared for by a woman who also holds his power of attorney. I'll let the readers speak for themselves:

"Red flags everywhere! The neighbor says the caregiver has his POA, which means she can control his money. She has no incentive to move him to a home. A person who is 100% bedridden shouldn't be alone for 18 hours each day. This is elder abuse in my mind and quite possibly fraud. One phone call is all it should take if she explains the situation." — RED FLAGS

"The person who wrote in should contact Adult Protective Services to make sure an unbiased individual looks at the situation and does what is necessary and what the elderly person wants. I am an attorney and volunteer member of our county's Adult Protective Service Multidisciplinary Team. We see this sort of situation all the time." — ON WATCH

"The poor bedbound man is a victim of abuse and neglect, and the situation should be reported to the authorities immediately. If he's regularly being ignored for 18 hours or more, I'm sure he has bedsores or worse." — UNNERVED

DEAR ABBY: Alzheimer's disease affects millions of Americans and their families, and the need for new approaches to treatment remains urgent. As a physician in the Division of Geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), I've seen how deeply this disease can affect not only people living with Alzheimer's, but also the families and caregivers who support them. Today, I'm encouraged by the opportunity to help identify new approaches to treating Alzheimer's disease as the principal investigator at a new clinical trials site in Oakland, California. One of our goals is to make clinical research more accessible and to increase participation among communities that historically have been underrepresented in clinical trials.

Abby, clinical trials cannot succeed without volunteers. Just as importantly, the people who participate in research should reflect the diverse communities affected by Alzheimer's disease. By broadening participation, we hope to learn more about potential treatments while helping ensure that advances in Alzheimer's research can benefit everyone.

At our site, we are currently enrolling participants in the SPRING Trial, a clinical study for people ages 55 to 80 who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. SPRING is exploring a different approach to Alzheimer's treatment: targeting P. gingivalis, a bacterium associated with gum disease that can also make its way into our brains. The drug LHP588 is designed to inactivate toxic enzymes produced by this bacterium, with the goal of stopping or slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

I hope your readers who are living with Alzheimer's disease, or caring for someone who is, will consider learning more about the SPRING Trial and whether participation might be right for them. More information about the study and participating sites across the U.S. can be found at springclinicaltrial.com. — T. RICHARD PARENTEAU, M.D./PH.D. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, OAKLAND CLINICAL RESEARCH VOLUNTEER CLINICAL PROFESSOR, UCSF DIVISION OF GERIATRICS

DEAR DR. PARENTEAU: I'm happy to help spread the word that volunteers are needed for this important study. Readers, if someone you know might be a candidate for this trial, I urge you to visit the website!

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren. For nearly four decades, Jeanne Phillips penned this column, which was founded in 1956 by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 270135, Kansas City, MO 64127.