From: Tim Huffman
Columbus
Received: April 14
As a baby boomer and an Alzheimer’s ambassador, I along with hundreds of fellow advocates from around the country will attend the 25th anniversary of the Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy Forum in Washington, D.C., to urge Congress to make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority.
More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and as many as 16 million will have the disease in 2050. Nearly one in every three seniors who dies each year has Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Between 2000 and 2008, the change in deaths due to breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, stroke, and HIV have all declined (all good), whereas deaths due to Alzheimer’s have increased 66 percent.
The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias is estimated to total $203 billion in 2013, increasing to $1.2 trillion (in today’s dollars) by midcentury. Eighty percent of care for patients is provided at home by family caregivers, and 44 percent of caregivers are employed full or part time.
The effects from Alzheimer’s has or will affect many of us, in family members or costs, if we do not find a cure. That’s why I advocate the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer’s Act, as well as support President Barack Obama’s budget for FY2014, which includes an additional $100 million dedicated to implementing the National Alzheimer’s Plan.
My exposure to Alzheimer’s is greater than previous generations, so you might say this is an investment in my (and my siblings’) future. You may consider being an advocate as well. Thank you.
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