Alzheimer's Foundation of America e-Newsletter
April 26, 2012
 Volume 5 Issue 9

Congressional Leaders Affirm Goal to Defeat Alzheimer's Disease           

 
 

Several congressional leaders who have been long-time Alzheimer's disease advocates this week introduced bipartisan resolutions in both the Senate and House that support the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's (HHS) goal of preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease by 2025.

 

The resolutions come as HHS is hammering the final details of its National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease, due to be released in mid-May. The first-ever national plan is mandated under the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA), which passed Congress in 2010 and was signed by President Obama early last year.

 

The resolution was introduced in the Senate by Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), the Senate co-chairs of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease; and in the House by Representatives Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Christopher Smith (R-NJ), House co-chairs of the task force, and Michael Burgess (R-TX), chairman of the Congressional Healthcare Caucus.

 

Eric J. Hall, AFA's president and CEO, and a member of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care and Services established under NAPA, applauded the legislators for their action.

 

"It will take enormous commitment, funding and guidance to achieve the level of activity necessary to transform the Alzheimer's disease landscape," Hall said. "We are grateful to these congressional leaders for their recognition that the national plan must be all-encompassing, addressing care and cure, and the needs of all segments of the Alzheimer's disease population, including individuals with young-onset who are currently aged out of critical support. Their added weight should help tremendously to advance this historic plan."
   

Advisory Council Approves Recommendations for National Alzheimer's Plan  

    

The Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care and Services that was established under the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) last week approved a comprehensive set of recommendations for consideration by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as it finalizes its historic National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease.

 

Many of the strategies advanced by AFA in its "The Time to Act Is Now" report, with input from member organizations and other stakeholders, are included in the council's recommendations on clinical care, long-term services and supports, and clinical research.

 

AFA's proposals reflected in the council's recommendation include: expanded Medicare coverage for diagnosis and care planning; tax relief for family caregivers; increased training and support for family caregivers; incentives to pursue careers in geriatric specialties; increased funding for Administration on Aging (AoA) programs; development of a palliative care program for people with Alzheimer's disease; and targeting the most promising clinical research for funding. Some specifically cite people with young-onset Alzheimer's disease.

 

"It is heartening that the Alzheimer's community has come together and put forward bold strategies that mark the first steps toward a national plan that can change lives. We must continue to press forward over time," said Eric J. Hall, AFA's president and CEO, and a member of the advisory council.

Alzheimer's Foundation Names College Scholarship Winners  

 

AFATeens2009 

 

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) has awarded its 2012 AFA Teens Alzheimer's Awareness College Scholarships to three high school seniors who have all had life-changing, albeit very different, experiences related to Alzheimer's disease.

 

The winner of the $5,000 grand prize is Grace Kearney of Baltimore, who spent three years as a research assistant in the geriatric psychology clinic at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Her eye-opening interactions with people with Alzheimer's disease sealed a desire for a career in geriatrics.

 

"I learned that caring for those with Alzheimer's is not about ridding them of their disease (such a thing is currently impossible), but helping them live in a way that is dignified and graceful until the very end," Kearney wrote in an essay that was part of the scholarship application.

 

The first runner-up is Caleb Julin of Altamonte Springs, FL, who helped care for his grandfather after he moved in with his family. The second runner-up, Olivia L. Vehslage of Wethersfield, CT, found her own courage to cope with her grandmother's memory loss through writing.

 

The annual scholarship competition is just one activity of AFA Teens, an award-winning division aimed at educating and engaging teens in the cause.    

Missing Alzheimer's Alert Program Makes Headway in Congress  


Wandering  

The Senate Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by long-time Alzheimer's champion Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), added $1 million to the FY 2013 budget to fund the Missing Alzheimer's Patient Alert Program, which had been "zeroed out" in the President's proposed budget.  

 

The program helps local communities and law enforcement officials quickly find persons with Alzheimer's disease who have wandered away.

 

The House CJS Appropriations Subcommittee is set to mark up its appropriations bill later this week.  In March, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter in the House that requested  

$2 million in appropriations for the program. AFA members were instrumental in getting 28 bi-partisan representatives to sign on.

 

Regardless of how the House acts, the program's inclusion in the Senate bill will ensure discussion during conference negotiations when the differences between the legislation are ironed out.

News to Use:

Beginning in May, AFA and Senior Helpers, one of the largest in-home senior care agencies in the country, are co-sponsoring the "Understanding Dementia Care" tour, featuring nationally-renowned dementia care expert Teepa Snow. Each stop in the national tour includes separate seminars for family caregivers and professional healthcare providers that will be packed with practical strategies.
In many cities, the tour will include a display of the AFA Quilt to Remember, a large-scale, heartfelt quilt that honors individuals with dementia, caregivers and healthcare professionals. For more information, including details for each city, click here.

 News Update
  • Routine chores may help cognition...Total daily activity, including low-intensity everyday chores like washing dishes as well as high-intensity physical exercise like swimming, can impact the risk of Alzheimer's disease in older adults, according to new research. It found that the participants who had the least movement had a two times higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to the most active participants. Read more...
  • Combination of proteins may signal Alzheimer's disease...New research indicates that both amyloid-beta plaque deposits and elevated levels of the p-tau protein in the brain may be working together to cause significant cognitive decline, rather than just one of the hallmark proteins of Alzheimer's disease being a contributing factor. The study of cognitively-healthy adults found that if p-tau was absent, the effect of amyloid-beta on longitudinal clinical decline was not significantly different from 0. Read more...
  • Computerized alerts to healthcare teams do not aid care...Given that hospitalized older adults with cognitive impairment are more prone to hospital-acquired complications, researchers found that a clinician decision support system that sends computerized alerts to physicians about a person's cognitive impairment and treatment recommendations did not significantly change physician prescribing behavior or improve the process of care. Read more...
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If you have a question or concern that you would like to discuss with a social worker, please write [email protected] or call (toll-free) 866-AFA-8484.

 

� 2012 Alzheimer's Foundation of America
In This Issue
Congressional Leaders Affirm Goal to Defeat Alzheimer's Disease
Advisory Council Approves Recommendations for National Alzheimer's Plan
Alzheimer's Foundation Names College Scholarship Winners
Missing Alzheimer's Alert Program Makes Headway in Congress
May is Older Americans Month
Take action to honor and support our nation's aging population.

Legendary Coach to Receive Presidential Medal

President Obama last week announced that he will be awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Pat Summitt, the legendary women's basketball coach. Summitt disclosed her diagnosis with early-onset dementia of the Alzheimer's type last May and last week stepped down from her 38-year reign as head of the University of Tennessee's Lady Vols basketball team.

 

As it turns out, the spring 2012 issue of AFA's care ADvantage magazine includes a guest column by Summitt's son, Tyler, about how his mom is faring. In addition, in a blog in The Huffington Post, AFA's CEO, Eric J. Hall, praises the Hall-of-Famer for her candor about her diagnosis. 

 

AFA Member receives MetLife Leadership Award for Health and Wellness
 

Songwriting Works Educational Foundation, an AFA member organization in Port Townsend, WA, recently received the MetLife Foundation Creativity and Aging in America Leadership Award in health and wellness.

 

Founded by Judith-Kate Friedman, Songwriting Works programs give elders and their loved ones the opportunity to collectively compose and perform original music with guidance from professional musicians.
 

AFA recently announced the formation of a Legacy Society, which offers special recognition to individuals who have included AFA in their wills or estate plans. Information about AFA's new Legacy Society is available at

www.alzfdn.org or by contacting AFA at 866.232.8484 


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