The Alzheimer’s Association commends the Obama Administration for dedicating new resources in the fight against Alzheimer’s in a uniquely challenging fiscal year in advance of the first ever National Alzheimer’s Plan.

“This infusion of funds is important and the Alzheimer’s Association appreciates this step by the Administration,” said Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association. “We are committed to working with the Administration, Congress and the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care and Services to ensure the development and implementation of an effective National Alzheimer’s Plan.

In order to meet the expectations of all Americans affected by this epidemic, the plan must address the critical need for care and support as well as accelerate research toward prevention, treatment and ultimately a cure.”

After the passage and enactment of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act with full bipartisan support last January, Americans affected by Alzheimer’s made impassioned demands for decisive action on Alzheimer’s during the Alzheimer’s Association’s nationwide public input campaign.

The more than 40,000 individuals who participated in the process live on the frontlines with Alzheimer’s disease. The struggles they face reflect the experiences of the estimated 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and their 15 million unpaid caregivers. They are eagerly waiting to see if the federal government’s commitment to solving this crisis is proportionate to the magnitude of this disease.

Within just 38 years, as many as 16 million Americans will have the disease and it is projected to cost the country more than $1 trillion annually.

The Association will continue to support the process underway to develop the first National Alzheimer’s Plan led by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  All of these efforts will help to ensure the nation is at last equipped to overcome Alzheimer’s – the public health crisis of this century – and meet the goal set forth by the Administration to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025.

One of the Alzheimer’s Association’s recent contributions to this process has been to convene a taskforce of leading Alzheimer’s scientists to determine the scope of work and scale of investment need to achieve this goal. Results of this assessment are expected to be released later this month.

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After a two-day meeting of government leaders and private sector experts that focused on the proposed framework of an historic national plan to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, Eric J. Hall, founding president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) and a member of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care and Services established by the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA),on January 19 released this statement:

“Our nation is placing an intense and unprecedented focus on Alzheimer’s disease right now, giving hope to Americans that the bold recommendations and thoughtful discussion that emerged during his meeting of the Advisory Council and ongoing will result in a powerful plan that turns the tide of the disease.

“In the year since NAPA was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America has consistently sought input from family caregivers, clinicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers and the general public about their personal and professional experiences with Alzheimer’s disease, their recommendations for change and their hopes that the NAPA process goes beyond a ‘check the box exercise.’

Their voices formed the basis of AFA’s report ‘No Time to Waste,’ which provides hard-hitting recommendations that align with the draft plan being discussed by the Advisory Council. “Never before has our nation been poised like this to pursue and achieve what Americans facing this devastating brain disorder demand and deserve.

We are at a pivotal juncture to alter the current course of Alzheimer’s disease, and we must act aggressively yet realistically in order to carry the momentum forward.

“Since fiscal concerns and the growth of the Alzheimer’s population cannot go unnoticed, it is critical that we design this plan with incremental, fundable and attainable goals, which include substantially increasing our scientific knowledge surrounding the disease; preventing, delaying and slowing progression of symptoms; researching and implementing best practices of care; providing much-needed support services for families; and ultimately obtaining the cure we are all waiting for.

“There’s no doubt that we have no time to waste, but it will be vital to engage Congress and sustain their commitment in order to achieve a national plan to defeat Alzheimer’s disease and help countless families now and in the future. Much work lies ahead, but I am confident that we are on the right path toward the resolution of this crisis.”

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) released its “No Time to Waste” report in October 2011 in response to the mandate by NAPA for federal officials to develop an integrated national plan to defeat Alzheimer’s disease.  AFA’s report urges wide-scale public awareness campaigns, including messaging to drive earlier detection and to “shift the focus from fear to acceptance of the disease.”

Other calls for action include: a substantial investment in research toward the prevention, treatment, care and cure of Alzheimer’s disease; additional dementia training and reimbursement for primary care clinicians; and greater training and support for family caregivers of all demographics, including teenagers and ethnic populations, across the continuum of care.

At the Advisory Council meeting this week, Hall further recommended family-friendly workplace policies; tax breaks for expenses related to care giving of loved ones with Alzheimer’ disease; and Medicare-provided support services, such as respite care, that can greatly benefit both individuals with the disease and the health and well-being of family caregivers.   Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/AlzheimersFoundationofAmerica

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