Alzheimer’s Impact Movement: The Fight to End Alzheimer’s

This past week, from May 16th-18th, the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Advocacy Forum was held in Washington D.C. CareAvailability’s very own Amy Schmidt was able to be there to represent and show support for the nations premier Alzheimer’s advocacy event. Advocates and Volunteers are hard at work meeting with members of Congress to build on the progress made in Alzheimer’s and other dementia research.

This year, volunteers from Oregon had 6 “asks” for our Government representatives to support.

1. NAPA Reauthorization Act: Congress passed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) in 2011. NAPA created a national plan to address Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The goals of the plan are to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimers and other dementias by 2025, enhance quality of care, expand support for impacted individuals and families, and promote health aging and reduce risk factors. The NAPA Reauthorization Act would extend the authorization of NAPA to 2035 and adds requirements to address health disparities among underrepresented populations.
2. Alzheimer’s Accountability Act of 2022: Congress passed the Alzheimer’s Accountability Act (AAA) in 2014. The Act requires the NIH to submit an annual Alzheimer’s budget directly to Congress and the President that specifies what resources the NIH needs to reach the goal of effectively treating and preventing Alzheimer’s and other dementias by 2025. The Alzheimer’s Accountability Act of 2022 would make permanent the requirement that NIH scientists tell Congress what resources they need each year.
3. Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act: The Comprehensive Care for Alzheimers Act would directly effect those caring for an individual with Alzheimers/dementia by asking the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test a better payment structure for dementia care management. The model is designed to reach as many Medicare beneficiaries as possible, especially rural, medically underserved and diverse communities.
4. Equity in Neuroscience and Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Act: Research has found that Alzheimer’s and other dementia disproportionately affect older Black and Hispanic Americans, yet many of the clinical trials have not included sufficient numbers of Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native Americans to accurately represent the U.S. population. This restricts our knowledge of how an approved therapy or diagnostic may affect the populations most likely to need the treatment. The ENACT Act would expand access and outreach to underrepresented populations, increase the diversity of clinical trial staff, and reduce the burden associated with participating in clinical trials.
5. NIH Funding: Alzheimer’s is one of the most expensive diseases in America, costing more than heart disease and cancer. This year, caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the U.S. an estimated $321 billion, and two-thirds of this cost will be covered by the Medicare and Medicaid programs. In order to avoid these costs, more funding is needed for the researchers and scientists who work hard every day to identify new treatments and a cure for this disease.
6. BOLD Act Funding: The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act establishes a public health infrastructure to address dementia. The law provides grants to local, state, and tribal public health departments to carry out various activities addressing Alzheimer’s and other dementia on the state level. The Northwest Portland area Indian Health Board received a BOLD grant and is establishing the first ever public health guide focused on Alzheimer’s and other dementia care for the Native American community.

Alzheimer’s is a disease that effects more than 6 million Americans. Read more about Alzheimer’s Disease and the Early Warning Signs, and join us in the fight to #ENDALZ