Obama Administration's FY2014 Budget Proposes  

$100M Increase for Alzheimer's Disease  

President Obama yesterday proposed a $100M increase for Alzheimer's disease research and caregiver services in his FY2014 budget. Overall, the President's 2014 plan includes $562 million to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Alzheimer's disease.

In a statement, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) lauded the President for "yet another tangible action that demonstrates the Administration's identification of this brain disorder as an overpowering public health crisis."

This suggested increase in funding comes just one week after the President's announcement of a $100 million BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) aimed at uncovering new ways to treat, prevent and cure brain disorders..

The budget does, however, contain cuts to some important programs that support people with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers, including Medicare and a program to locate people who wander.

New Study Finds Dementia Care More Costly Than Heart Disease or Cancer Care

The cost associated with dementia care for people aged 70 and older ranges from $157 billion to $210 billion annually in the United States, including $50 billion to $106 billion for informal care typically provided by family members at home, according to a new government-supported study by the RAND Corporation.

The study also found that direct costs for nursing homes, Medicare and out-of-pocket expenses for individuals with dementia surpassed that of care for people with heart disease or cancer.  

It estimated a tab of $41,000 to $56,000 per case, and projected that total national costs will more than double by 2040 to reflect the aging population.

Risk of Alzheimer's Disease Higher in African-Americans

A new study published Tuesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that African-Americans carrying a variant of the gene ABCA7 have more than twice the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease in later life than African-American non-carriers.

The study of people older than 60 also found that that specific gene variant did not boost the risk for people of European ancestry, but that another risk gene, APoE4, carries about the same risk for both groups.

 AFA to Provide More Respite Care Grants to Family Caregivers  

• Hot off the Press: care ADvantage Magazine - The spring issue of AFA's, care ADvantage includes a "Survival Guide to Hospitalization" for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. The article includes strategies to help prevent the three most common causes of hospitalization for people with Alzheimer's disease: pneumonia, urinary tract infection (UTI) and congestive heart failure.
• Filing Last-Minute? Check Out These Tax Tips for Caregivers - Tax day is Monday, and this looming deadline may be especially stressful for busy caregivers. AARP has compiled some tips and a video to help caregivers during this hectic time.

News Updates

• Genetically Modified Rat May Aid in Alzheimer's Drug Development - Scientists were able to genetically modify rats' brain cells to mirror the exact plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer's disease, possibly providing a new means to test the efficacy of drugs to treat the brain disorder. Read more...     
• Can Amyloid Proteins Be Beneficial? - Oft thought to be villains, amyloid proteins may actually have protective properties in certain circumstances, including reducing inflammation and inappropriate immune responses, new research has found. The study involved laboratory mice with symptoms of a multiple-sclerosis-like neurodegenerative disease. Read more... 

In Memoriam:

AFA extends its heartfelt condolences to the family of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Lady Thatcher, who passed away earlier this week, had been living with dementia for more than a decade.