COVID-19 s negative impact on dementia
and last updated 2021-05-19 23:12:41-04
(LEX 18) â This week marks the annual Alzheimer s Impact Movement (AIM) Advocacy Forum, when advocates from around the country lobby their respective congress members to support measures to curb Alzheimer s and other dementia.
Although this year s forum has been restricted to a virtual format, advocates say there is a lot of work to be done as the country emerges from the pandemic.
According to the Alzheimer s Association, there were at least 42,000 more deaths from Alzheimer s and other dementia in 2020 compared with averages over the previous five years. That represents a 16% increase. In Kentucky, there were 921 more deaths than expected from Alzheimer s and dementia, according to the organization.
Senators Luján And Collins Introduce Legislation To Increase Diversity In Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials
U.S. SENATE News;
WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have introduced legislation to increase racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
The Equity in Neuroscience and Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials (ENACT) Act aims to increase diversity in clinical trials and study staff, reduce the burden of study participants, and improve health outcomes for people of color through new treatments. Congresswoman Lisa Blunt-Rochester introduced its companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
May 4, 2021
Although often rewarding, the intense responsibilities of providing care for someone living with dementia often take a toll on the caregiver.
Providing that care can be emotionally, physically and financially draining. Yet as a nation, we haven’t done enough to support the 11 million Americans providing this unpaid care.
My father lived with some form of dementia for 10-15 years before he passed away in 2016. His wife was his sole caregiver until she finally relinquished his care to a locked dementia facility after sustaining injuries caused by his violent outbursts.
The Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) are proud to support the bipartisan Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Act (S. 56/H.R.1474). This legislation would provide much needed relief for Hawaii’s 51,000 unpaid caregivers to kupuna with Alzheimer’s disease.
Letter to the Editor: Time to increase Alzheimer’s caregiver support
For 20 years I’ve experienced the impact Alzheimer’s disease has on families. This past year, caregivers have had to navigate through the pandemic, causing increased isolation, hardship and the tragic loss of lives.
John Garamendi was the first member of Congress from California to co-sponsor the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Act, re-introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters. It currently has 46 bipartisan co-sponsors.
Grantees including community health centers, senior centers, Area Agencies on Aging would reach diverse communities to expand training and support services for unpaid caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia.