Talking Alzheimer’s awareness with U of M

In Minnesota, 97,000 people are projected to have Alzheimer’s disease this year. Professor Joseph Gaugler with the School of Public Health answers questions about Alzheimer’s, its symptoms and risk factors.

Q: What is Alzheimer’s disease?

• Having various genetic dispositions such as the protein APOE4, which contributes to Alzheimer’s.

Q: Are there preventative factors?

up on with a healthcare professional (www.alz.org/ alzheimers-dementia/10_ signs).

Q: What are you doing to expand research on Alzheimer’s?

Movers & Shakers

Joseph Gaugler

Dr. Gaugler: Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia, which is a general term used to describe impairments in mental function that compromise one’s ability to carry out dayto-day activities. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging, and it worsens over time. There is no current cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but symptoms can be treatable.

Q: What are the risk factors for Alzheimer’s?

Dr. Gaugler: Risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease include: Advancing age, as approximately one-third of people over the age of 85 are at risk of having Alzheimer’s disease.

• Having a family history, especially those with a parent, sibling or child with Alzheimer’s disease.

Limited to 350 words.

Submissions must Include a full name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

Letter writers must live, work or have another connection to Press Publications coverage area.

Letter writers are limited to six letters per year and

Dr. Gaugler: A significant, international report published in The Lancet in 2020 suggested that 40% of one’s lifetime risk of dementia is modifiable. In addition to those listed above, risk factors that appear to contribute to dementia that can be changed include mid-life hearing loss, social isolation and depression, and air pollution.

Q: Are there early warning signs people should be aware of?

Dr. Gaugler: The earliest symptoms may include forgetting recent events or conversations.

As Alzheimer’s progresses, memory and other important mental functions such as communication, the ability to pay attention, judgment and visual perceptions become more impaired. In the later stages of the disease, persons with Alzheimer’s generally have significant difficulty performing basic activities to maintain independence.

The Alzheimer’s Association has created a valuable “10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease” worksheet that can help distinguish between normal age-related changes in thinking and memory, and those we may want to follow at least four weeks must lapse between publication. Exceptions may be made for rebuttal letters. Due to space limitations, letters that don’t address local issues are not guaranteed publication.

Repeat letters by the same writer about the same subject matter will not be published.

Dr. Gaugler: Our research has focused on evaluating innovative services and programs to support persons with dementia and their family caregivers. This includes several multi-year studies and efforts funded by the National Institute on Aging, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Defense, including:

• The Building our Largest Dementia (BOLD) infrastructure Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving, a national center designed to disseminate tools, resources and best practices to public health agencies across the U.S. to better support family caregivers of people living with dementia.

• A home-based support program for people with memory concerns who live alone.

Joseph Gaugler is the Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and director of the Center for Health Aging and Innovation in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Submissions containing libelous or derogatory statements will not be published.

Submissions containing facts not previously published in the Press must be accompanied by factual verification. All letters are subject to editing.

Deadline is 5 p. m. , Thursday of the week prior to publication.

To submit a letter, e-mail it to whitebearnews@ presspubs.com, fax it to 651429-1242 or mail or deliver it to Press Publications, 4779 Bloom Ave., White Bear Lake, MN 55110.

Recent letter misleading

This is a response to the recent letter from Ms. Youker. To begin, as a scientist I’ll gladly champion the use of metric units such as hectares! But for a U.S.-based audience, seeing such a disjointed and Canadian-centric message raises both eyebrows and attention. As for my attention, I identified ‘borrowed’ statements from conservativeleaning outlets such as The Canadian Press, The Fraser Institute, The Province, CTV News, and the Washington Examiner. Instead of an opinion letter, we see a cobbled collection of article snippets that Ms. Youker is passing on as her own words. And still unable to cite her sources correctly (e.g. www.fao. org isn’t the Canadian Forest Service).

The crux of her opinion is that climate change isn’t driving wildfires but they’re human induced, therefore no need to consider climate a risk for fires. I would counter that increased variability of temperature and precipitation skews any fire, human or otherwise, worse. For example, populations of the mountain pine beetle have expanded into large sections of Alberta since 2000, killing millions of trees. And under what conditions does the beetle grow best?

When summers are warm & dry, while winters are mild preventing the beetles from being killed. Alberta has warmed at least 4C (~7F) since 1951 (albertaclimaterecords. com), climate forcing like this will make any fire, human or natural, accelerate rapidly.

Additionally, using Edmonton as a proxy for all Alberta is misleading at best. Why select a single station and not any of the other 261 across the province, if not to ‘cherry-pick’ the data? This does nothing to help your claim but reinforces the counterpoint that climate change exacerbates wildfire regardless of source.

I am not a Canadian citizen, nor claim to know the ins and outs of their government. Yet, I am willing to put in the effort to try and understand what our friends up north are struggling with. I do this by using verifiable data, proper analyses, and critical thinking to make honest judgements. If only we could do more of that here in the U.S.

Toby FitzSimons Vadnais Heights

Better headlines needed

While reading the June 21 edition of the White Bear Press I was quite surprised and disappointed to see the headlines involving high school sports: “Young Zephyr golf squad places 4th at state”, “Zephyr girl golfers 8th in state meet” and “Bear 7th-grader 28th in state golf”, “Bear girls duo competes at state”

Why did you mark the gender of the female athletes but not the male? Doing so perpetuates that boys’/men’s sports are “sports,” but girls’/women’s sports are not.

As a former college athlete and current girls’ hockey coach, I am dismayed that this is considered journalism in 2023. Please do better.

Amber Ross Vadnais Heights

Can’t compare pregnancy, Covid

In Ms. Cindy Paslawski’s July 12 letter, she tries to compare opposition to government intrusion in one’s personal health care decision about abortion with government actions to try to limit the spread of Covid-19. People have been getting pregnant throughout history, and there are many factors involved in determining whether to continue a pregnancy.

Pregnancy is not a rare circumstance.

When someone decides to get an abortion, their decision mainly affects themselves and the immediate people in their lives, no one else. When government officials made decisions to require/encourage vaccinations or that people wear masks, we were dealing with a rare circumstance where action was needed to limit the spread of a deadly, rare virus. These government actions were meant to protect the public from illness and death and were intended not only to protect the person getting the vaccine or wearing the mask but were intended to protect others. Over 1,100,000 people have died in the U.S. due to Covid-19. If there had been greater compliance with vaccinations and maskwearing, we wouldn’t have had such a high rate of illness and death. This makes these two situations quite different as pregnancy is not contagious.

If the author truly values “life,” it seems like she would support government actions designed to protect people from dying or getting seriously ill. As a conservative, Ms. Paslawski has every right to her opinion about abortion and is free to act accordingly. She does not; however, have the right to impose her conservative or religious views on others.

Louise DiCesare Mahtomedi

Small world story

Even after 40 years, it’s still my favorite small-world story.

Working at a small school in a small town in then West Germany’s Black Forest, I had just returned from a few months of travel, and was informed that we had guest speakers from Minnesota.

So, after the midday meal the class, staff and guests went for a hike. I sidled up to one of our arrivals and asked where in Minnesota he was from. He stated they were living north of Bemidji.

“Is that where you’re from?” I asked. “No. I’m from St. Paul.”

“St. Paul proper?”

“No. It’s a little town you’ve probably never heard of.”

“Try me.”

“Have you ever heard of White Bear Lake?” At which point the light came on. I stated, “Oh! Your brother www.presspubs.com works for the White Bear Press.”

The look on his face was priceless. How does a German (I’m a WBLAHS 69er but didn’t have an American accent) living in such a remote area know such a thing?

We did get everything sorted out and do occasionally still run into each other. I just saw him recently at a funeral (we’re of the age).

Anyway, kudos to the White Bear Press for its lengthy service. To cite Spock, “May you live long and prosper.”

Jim Nash White Bear Lake

Speed limits ignored

How about we hatch an idea to actually make the State of Minnesota money.

Let’s take down all the stop and speed limit signs since they are being ignored anyway! We can then recycle the steel and turn a tidy profit.

Dave Brockel White Bear Township

People should get a vote

This is a response to Brooke Raeker’s July 5 letter to the editor.

And so it begins, it appears that the democratic party is going to rely heavily on abortion and LGBTQ+ in the next election cycle. Regarding abortion, after Roe passed members of the court, especially Ruth Bader Ginsburg, said they had used flawed translations of the law. It should not have passed. If you read the constitution, you will find that the case should never have been put before SCOTUS. It fell within the purview of the states, not the federal government (the federal government has very limited power under the constitution, and they overstep their bound a lot. The tenth amendment: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the People.”) I truly believe that had Justice Ginsburg lived to hear this case (Dobbs) she would have voted to overturn Roe.

Religious conservatives have every right to express their opinions on impending as well as existing laws. See article III of the Bill of Rights.

I believe that our current state governor and legislators overstepped their bounds by not putting this heinous legislation to a vote of the people. I believe it would have passed, but at least those of us who opposed it would have been able to express our opinion.

I would suggest you look at the following websites: Operation Rescue Organization, Lifenews.com and abortion911.com.

How many doctors and scientists have we lost who may have come up with cures for dreaded diseases?

Patrick Kenny White Bear Lake

Death Notice

David Paul Vinck

David Paul Vinck passed away on June 29. A Celebration of Life is planned for Aug 3 at St. Mary’s in White Bear. Please view his obituary on cremationsocietyofmn.com for details.

Obituaries

Davin Tor Branwall

Age 50, of Minneapolis passed away unexpectedly due to health issues at his home on June 20th, 2023. Survived by father, Lee; son Tristan Tor; brother Eric (Jill); sister-in-law

Michelle Branwall Harty; cousins Lindsey, Lane, Nathan, and Tyra; exwife Flavia Polignone. Preceded in death by his mother Arlene Espland Branwall; brother Lee

Jr.; grandparents Ernest and Mary, and Carl and Esther Espland. A Celebration of Life Service

July 25th at 11 AM ST. STEPHEN LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1965 East County Rd E, White Bear Lake, MN. Visitation one hour prior. Lunch and fellowship at 12 PM. Davin will be interred in the family plot at Lakeview Cemetery, Tower, MN at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations preferred and will be deposited in his son’s Tristan Tor Branwall 529 College Fund.

Arrangements with Honsa Family Funeral Home, 651-429-6172.

White Bear Lake Area School Board Notes

• Each year the White Bear Lake Area School Board is required to approve the resolution to renew the White Bear Lake Area High School’s membership in the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). Superintendent Dr. Wayne Kazmierczak said each School Board member reviewed the “Why We Play” training video found on the MSHSL website as required by the Minnesota State High School League. “This is more than just sports,” said School Board Member Scott Arcand. “This is our oneact play, our speech and music contests that are out there giving students an opportunity to problem solve, to fail and then pick themselves up and try again. It teaches them lifelong skills, showing them how to work together with things in the real world. So these are things that enhance their academics.”

• The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires that school districts annually designate an Identified Official with Authority (IOwA) to comply with MNIT Enterprise Identity and Access Management Standard which states that all user access rights to Minnesota state systems must be reviewed and recertified at least annually. The Identified Official with Authority assigns job duties and authorizes external users' access to MDE secure systems for their local education agency (LEA). The School Board authorized Kazmierczak to act as the IOwA and Rachael Markuson, executive assistant to the superintendent, to act as the IOwA to add and remove names only for White Bear Lake Area Schools.

• The School Board of Northeast Metropolitan Intermediate School District No. 916 has approved a long-term facility maintenance budget for its facilities for the 2024-25 school year is $431,950, which member districts pay a proportionate share determined by utilizing a blended rate based on net tax capacity and ratio of ADM utilization by the district. Kazmierczak noted the White Bear Lake Area Schools’ proportionate share is $40,675.

WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S REPORTS

The Washington County Sheriff's Office reports the following selected incidents in Birchwood, Dellwood, Grant, Mahtomedi, Pine Springs and Willernie:

Grant

• Residents in the 9000 block of Justen Trail N. reported receiving a scam text June 11 claiming to have possession of their child's phone. The complainants checked immediately and confirmed their child still had their phone. Deputies advised the complainants to block the number and not to respond to further messages.

• A resident in the 7000 block of Jocelyn Road N. reported an Amazon delivery driver dropped off a package on June 12. After the complainant studied her video surveillance footage the next day, she noticed a man with hair “down to his knees” get out of a black Ram truck to take a video of the property, but not take the package from the front door. Although nothing was taken, except for the photo, the complainant wanted the incident documented.

• Another resident in the 7000 block of Jocelyn Road N. reported a gray Honda sedan pulling up to her barn June 13 and leaving immediately when she went outside. The complainant was unable to obtain a plate number of the vehicle or description of the driver. Deputies wondered if the incident was related to the suspicious vehicle call in the 7000 block of Jocelyn Road.

Mahtomedi

• A Park Avenue resident reported 50-60 vehicles parked near Park Avenue and Iris Street at 10:29 p.m. June 8, and he could not access his driveway. Deputies arriving on scene noted approximately 150 teens, near 18 years in age, congregating at a graduation party in the area. The graduates cleared out from the residence, as deputies rolled north and south along Park Avenue while continuing to force the remaining teens to disperse.

• A Minnesota motorist was cited at 11:36 p.m. June 8 on Grove Street for driving the wrong way on a one-way street, after deputies enroute to a large disturbance call observed the vehicle turn on Grove Street, pass multiple “Do Not Enter” signs and push against the correct flow of traffic. The driver's attitude was described as “good”.

• Shoplifting was reported June 11 at a Wildwood Road business.

• Deputies conducted a traffic stop and cited a motorist at 12:41 a.m.

June 13 near Century Avenue N. and Wildwood Road for driving after revocation and failure to provide proof of insurance.

• A Wildwood Road resident reported a scam on June 13.

• A Windsor Lane resident reported identity theft fraud June 14 without financial loss at the time of the report. The complainant thinks the suspect was from New York City.

• Deputies on general patrol at 12:55 a.m. June 15 removed a vehicle and its occupants from a park after hours near Locust Street and Neville Avenue. The two occupants went quietly in their vehicle.

• Deputies on patrol searched for a suspicious person at large, after they observed an unidentified person running along the 400 block of Park Avenue at 1:23 a.m. June 15. As soon as deputies approached, the person caught sight of the squad and darted into a nearby wood. The suspect was last seen wearing a white shirt and white shorts.

Pine Springs

• Deputies assisted the Minnesota State Patrol June 9 with a rollover accident on westbound Highway 36 at the southbound ramp to I-694. Deputies' duties included shining lights on the scene and transporting individuals off the highway.

• Deputies issued a citation at 1:54 a.m. June 13 to a motorist who did not yield to an emergency vehicle and who was speeding on westbound Highway 36 at I-694.

• A Minnesota motorist was cited at 11:41 p.m. June 14 on eastbound Highway 36 just west of Hilton Trail N. for speeding 80 mph in a 55 mph zone by deputies on stationary patrol who clocked the vehicle on radar.

Willernie

• Residents near Kimberly Road and Chatham Road reported their neighbors for dumping items on the street corner June 9 and advised deputies they had surveillance video of the neighbors in the act. When deputies spoke to the neighbor about the dumping, the neighbor agreed to take the items back to their property. Just to make sure, deputies later drove by the street corner and did not see the items.

• Chatham Road residents reported persons for knocking on their door while they were asleep at 11:59 p.m. June 12.

White Bear Lake Police Reports

The following selected incidents were reported by the White Bear Lake Police Department:

• Theft was reported on in the block of White Bear Avenue on July 7. A man left his phone sitting outside the store after his break and someone took it and walked off with it. The approximate value is $800.

• An officer responded to a burglary in the the 3500 block of Hoffman Road on July 7 that occurred within the past

RAMSEY COUNTY SHERIFF'S REPORTS

The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office reports the selected incidents in Vadnais Heights and White Bear Township:

Vadnais Heights

• Deputies arrested six people and turned them over to the West St. Paul Police Department June 14, following a stolen vehicle report in the 800 block of County Road E. A vehicle involved in an armed robbery in West St. Paul was tracked to the Walmart store and seen exiting the store parking lot at the intersection of the service road and County Road E. Weapons were drawn, and a vehicle intervention technique was used to stop the car-jacked vehicle.

• An unidentified person was arrested at 9:51 p.m. June 14 on Centerville Road and Edgerton Street, following a one-mile pursuit that lasted one minute. When deputies tried to pull the vehicle over for a traffic violation, the vehicle briefly stopped before trying to flee. Deputies, however, had preemptively deployed stop sticks that deflate tires without a blow out, and the pursuit didn't last long. The case is under investigation.

• A Shoreview man reported his vehicle broken into June 15 while he and a companion were out for a walk in Sucker Lake Park in the 4500 block of Rice Street. A passenger side window was smashed in for access, and a wallet hidden under the driver's seat was stolen. The victim's financial accounts were frozen prior to deputies' arrival on scene.

• A Minneapolis woman, 21, was arrested for felony theft June 16 at the Walmart in the 800 block of County Road E, after loss prevention personnel observed her cutting security tags, concealing items and passing all points of sale. After store employees recovered the items outside the store, the suspect fled in a vehicle. Deputies conducted a traffic stop and arrested the suspect. After she was banned from the store, she was booked at jail for felony theft. A report was sent to the county attorney for consideration of charges.

• A road rage assault was reported June 17 at the intersection of County Road F and McMenemy Street.

• A resident in the 3500 block of English Street reported a burglary June 17, after three males in a white truck with asphalt equipment came to the house and pitched their driveway seal coating services. While one of the men distracted the victim, another went around to the back of the house and entered the residence through the back door. Nothing appeared to be missing from inside, and video surveillance is available. Deputies advised the complainant to warn her neighbors.

White Bear Township

• An iPhone 6 was reported stolen, after unlocked vehicles in an open garage in the 5900 block of Bayberry Drive were rummaged through overnight June 12-13.

• Approximately $2 in change was reported stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked in the 2500 block of Blue Bill Circle overnight June 12-13, after the vehicle was rummaged through.

• A resident in the 5800 block of Red Pine Blvd. reported his unlocked vehicle rummaged overnight June 12-13 after video surveillance footage showed the vehicle entered at 12:58 a.m. that night. No damage was reported, and nothing appeared to be missing.

• White Bear Lake Superstore reported a rental vehicle stolen overnight June 12-13 while it was parked on the street in the 5800 block of Pintail Lane. When the complainant reported the theft to the rental agency, he was told the Minnesota State Patrol had found the crashed and abandoned vehicle.

• Residents in the 2600 block of Suzanne Circle reported a vehicle ransacked overnight June 13-14.

• A resident in the 5800 block of Bayberry Drive reported fraudulent charge attempts on her credit cards during March and April, after she learned from Maplewood Police on June 14 that they had recovered a purse she didn't know was missing.

• A resident in the 5900 block of Red Pine Blvd. reported his vehicle rummaged through June 14, after viewing a video clip of the suspects exiting a small white SUV and running up his driveway to check the door handles of his vehicle. The suspects then entered the unlocked vehicle and rummaged through it. No items were taken, and the vehicle sustained no damage.

• A resident in the 1000 block of Mehegan Lane reported a Snap Chat blackmail scam June 15, which he recognized immediately and called in.

• A Zimmerman woman reported her wallet missing June 16, following her nail appointment in the 1000 block of Meadowlands Drive. Her credit cards were then used at the Walmart. The case is under investigation.

week. Jewelry and other valuables were stolen.

• An accident hit and run was reported in the block of 4th Street on July 10.

• Officers were dispatched to a report of a drunk driver near County Road E and Century Avenue. Officers located the vehicle in the 2300 block of Dorothy Avenue. A White Bear Lake man was found to be impaired by alcohol. He was arrested and booked on 4th degree DWI charges on July 10.

• An accident hit and run was reported in the block of Van Dyke Street on July 11.

• Theft was reported in the block of Buerkle Road on July 12.

• Harassment was reported in the block of Century Avenue North on July 12.

• A burglary was reported in the block of Cedar Avenue on July 12. Theft was reported in the block of Elm Street on July 12.

• Theft from a grocery store in the 4600 block of Centerville Road on July 12.

• Officers assisted the Maplewood Police Department with a suspect that fled. Upon arrival, the suspect was already in custody on July 12.

• Theft was reported in the block of Division Avenue on July 13.

• A vehicle was stolen from a parking lot in the block of 6th Street on July 13. Due to the quality of the surveillance video, the suspects were unidentifiable.

• Criminal Damage Property was reported in the block of Willow Avenue on July 13. Paint ball was discovered on the exterior the building and basketball hoops.

• Theft from auto was reported in the block of Floral Drive on July 13.