HHS Releases 2015 Update to National Alzheimer's Plan
Annual Progress Report Timed to White House Conference on Aging
|
 In conjunction with this week's White House Conference on Aging, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the 2015 update to the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease. As part of the update, the Health Resources and Services Administration will develop a new Alzheimer's disease training curriculum for the healthcare workforce. In addition, HHS' Office of Women's Health will develop training for family caregivers addressing specific needs of individuals living with dementia.
The update also includes HHS' Administration on Community Living (ACL) launching a $4 million Brain Health Awareness Campaign to help older adults better understand changes that occur in the brain.
HHS also released the Alzheimer's and Related Dementias: HIPAA Resource List which gives guidance to providers regarding consent, capacity, and decision-making when treating individuals with dementia.
The next meeting of the National Plan advisory board is July 27, in Washington, D.C. As always, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) will continue to report on the activities of the NAPA Advisory Board and implementation of the national Alzheimer's plan.
|
White House Conference on Aging Sets Stage For National Discussion on Aging in America
|
 This week, the White House held its Conference on Aging (WHCoA). The milestone event commemorated the 50th anniversaries of Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act and the 80th anniversary of Social Security. Advocates and policy makers heard from panelists on a variety of topics including caregiving, financial security, elder justice, intergenerational connections and technology. The conference is an effort to start a larger discussion on aging in our society.
President Obama addressed attendees, noting that 10,000 Americans are turning 65 every day and many have not done enough to prepare for retirement. He announced that the Department of Labor would be revising rules to help states help set up retirement savings accounts.
Perhaps of most significance to AFA's community, the caregiving panel included the announcement of the Dementia-Friendly America Initiative pilot program, which will create 15 dementia-friendly communities across the country. This initiative is based on Minnesota's ACT on Alzheimer's program, in which 34 communities statewide work to increase dementia awareness and implement strategies to support individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers. Other announcements at the WHCoA included the debut of a new website, aging.gov, and an effort to modernize rules affecting long-term care, healthy aging and elder justice.
Throughout this year, the WHCoA collected input about aging policy at regional meetings and issued briefs on caregiving, healthy aging and retirement security. AFA submitted comments on the briefs, aimed at improving quality of life for people with dementia and their families.
|
RAISE Act Seeks to Create a National Caregiver Strategy
|
 Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) along with Reps. Greg Harper (R-Miss.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) have introduced the Recognize, Assist, Include, and Engage (RAISE) Act (S. 1979; House Bill number forthcoming) which calls for creating an integrated national strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. Specifically the bill creates an advisory board, modeled on the advisory board established under the National Alzheimer's Project Act, to make recommendations on shaping a national family caregiver strategy that will identify specific actions government, communities, providers, employers and others can take to recognize and support family caregivers in areas including caregiver training, financial security and respite.
AFA supports the RAISE Act and recommended a similar proposal in 2013 comments to the Long Term Care Commission. Please contact your Congressional representatives and urge them to cosponsor is important legislation. You can reach your Congressperson via the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-225-3121. Not sure who to contact? Click here.
|
|
|
Memory Screening Mondays at AFA
Monday July 20 kicks off Memory Screening Mondays at AFA's New York headquarters. Beginning then, and every other Monday thereafter, AFA will offer free, confidential memory screenings between the hours of 11 a.m. and noon.
These screenings are a simple, non-invasive way to gauge memory and cognitive abilities. Screenings last just 10 minutes and consist of a series of questions and tasks. While results are not a diagnosis, they can signal whether someone should follow up with a physician for a thorough evaluation.
Early detection of memory problems can help improve quality of life and put people on the proper path to treatment. For more information call our national Allisyn Vachon, AFA's national program manager, at 866-232-8484 or click here.
AFA Names New Director of Development
AFA announced this week that it has named Jonathan Staunch director of development. Staunch most recently served as senior director, major gifts at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He has a personal connection to the cause. His grandmother and uncle both lived with Alzheimer's disease; his uncle with the early-onset form.
"Helping to fund research and care for people with Alzheimer's disease is important to me," Staunch explained. "I am looking forward to helping AFA grow its donor base so that we can provide even more services and support to people in need."
|
|
|
|
| |
Fundraiser Spotlight
| |
| |
Back Room Bar & Grille
Mansfield, Ohio
Only July 25, the Back Room Bar & Grille in Mansfield, Ohio, will host a Summer Blowout to benefit AFA.
The daylong outdoor event begins at noon and runs through 2 a.m. It will feature live local bands, as well as raffles, a silent auction, and food and drink specials. In addition, local artists will be on-hand selling paintings and other works.
For more information, contact Jim Owen or Samantha Mechling at 419-589-7671.
| |
| |
|
|
| |
Did You Know?
| |
| |
Did you know that AFA's national toll-free helpline is now open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT Monday-Friday?
Our licensed social workers are available to answer questions and provide referrals to local services. Assistance is available in both English and Spanish.
Call 866-232-8484.
| |
| |
|
|
| |
News Updates
| |
| |
Study: Type 2 Diabetes Has Long-Term Effect on Cognitive Skills
A new study shows that Type 2 Diabetes takes a toll on the brain. The disease negatively affects the regulation of blood flow in the brain, which resulted in cognitive test scores of people with diabetes declining 12 percent during the two years of the study. By contrast, the scores of individuals without diabetes stayed the same. Read more.
African Americans and European Americans Affected Differently by Alzheimer's Disease
Recent research out of Rush University in Illinois suggests that African Americans are less likely to have Alzheimer's disease alone. Instead, 71 percent of study participants had Alzheimer's disease mixed with another type of brain change that can cause dementia, such as infarcts resulting from stroke, dementia with Lewy bodies or Parkinson's and blood vessel disease. Only 51 percent of European Americans, on the other hand, exhibited Alzheimer's disease with one of these other conditions. These findings could signal the need for different treatment and prevention protocols for African Americans. Read more.
| |
| |
|
|
 |
|
