Women In Government Actions
Recent Events
Janurary 2012
At Women In Government’s 18th Annual State Directors’ Conference, one segment provided an update on the Alzheimer’s Association’s state policy work, and also discussed the impact of the disease and why state policy action is important. Randi Chapman, who currently serves as Director of State Affairs for the Alzheimer’s Association-- the leading, global voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care and support, and the largest private, non-profit funder of Alzheimer's research-- gave the presentation and discussed her work. She is responsible for the organization’s state government relations programs and state policy development. To learn more, please view her presentation here.
January 2011
Most recently, at the 17th Annual State Director's Conference & Ninth Biennial First-Term Legislators Conference, Women In Government featured an update on Alzheimer's Disease from the Director of State Affairs of the Alzheimer's Association, Mike Splaine. He spoke to both State Directors and First-Termers and provided them with an overview of the current state of Alzheimer's Disease.
It is estimated that 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, a figure which has more than doubled since 1980. Women In Government addressed this issue with several educational session on new discoveries surrounding Alzheimer’s disease at conferences since the early 2000s.
Background
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, according to their new report, the 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, released on March 18, 2008.
The new report says the disease is poised to strike one out of eight baby boomers. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, now is the time to address this looming epidemic that currently has no effective disease-modifying treatments that halt or delay the progression of the disease.
Today, as many as 5.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, which includes between 200,000-500,000 people under age 65 with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Experts predict that by 2010, there will be almost a half million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease each year; by 2050, there will be almost a million new cases each year.
The Association’s report details the escalation of Alzheimer’s disease, which is now the seventh leading cause of death in the country and the fifth leading cause of death for those over age 65. It also offers numerous statistics that convey the burden that Alzheimer’s imposes on individuals, families, government, business and the nation’s health and long term care systems. For example:
- Every 71 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease; by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds.
- Women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer’s disease (17 percent vs. 9 percent). One in six women and one in ten men age 55 and older can expect to develop Alzheimer’s disease in their remaining lifetime. Although it may appear that being female is a risk factor, more women will develop Alzheimer’s because on average, women live longer than men, thereby having more time to develop the disease.
- In 2007, there were nearly 10 million Americans age 18 and over providing 8.4 billion hours of unpaid care to people with Alzheimer’s disease valued at $89 billion, four times more than what Medicaid pays for nursing home care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
- In addition, a quarter million American children age 8 to 18 years old are providing care to loved ones with Alzheimer’s.
- There are 1 to 1.4 million “long-distance caregivers” in the United States. About 1 million live more than two hours or more away and another 400,000 live at least an hour away from their loved ones. Many of these long-distance caregivers also incur higher caregiving-related expenses compared to other caregivers.
- Seventy percent of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias live at home where friends and family take care of them.
Download the full report (43 pages in PDF).
Read the full press release on the report.
November is National Alzheimer's Disease Month
National Alzheimer's Disease Month is an annual, national observance that was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. The observance was begun as a way to increase public awareness and Federal research funding to find treatments and a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
National Alzheimer's Disease Month Resources:
Alzheimer's Association Press Release
Fact Sheet: Alzheimer's Association Helpline
Fact Sheet: 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease
Fact Sheet: Alzheimer's Disease Growth
Fact Sheet: Maintain Your Brain
Fact Sheet: Safe Return
Fact Sheet: The Threat to Medicaid
Sample Legislation
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Georgia SR 1188: Creates the Senate Alzheimer´s Disease and Other Dementias Study Committee; and for other purposes.
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Kentucky's HJ 13: Directs the KY Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Council and the Office on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders to create a state plan by January 2008.
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Kentucky's SJ 6: Calls for development of a state Alzheimer's plan by January 2008.
Additional Resources
