Monday, April 25, 2011

Please Support Alzheimer’s Association


  • This year, the first wave of baby boomers are turning 65 – and with increased age comes increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
  • Our new report, "Generation Alzheimer's: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers," sheds light on a crisis that is no longer emerging – but here.
  • Many baby boomers will spend their retirement years either with Alzheimer's or caring for someone who has it.
  • An estimated 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's.
  • Starting this year, more than 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65. As these baby boomers age, one of out of eight of them will develop Alzheimer’s – a devastating, costly, heartbreaking disease. Increasingly for these baby boomers, it will no longer be their grandparents and parents who have Alzheimer’s – it will be them.
  • "Alzheimer’s is a tragic epidemic that has no survivors. Not a single one," said Harry Johns, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association. "It is as much a thief as a killer. Alzheimer’s will darken the long-awaited retirement years of the one out of eight baby boomers who will develop it. Those who will care for these loved ones will witness, day by day, the progressive and relentless realities of this fatal disease. But we can still change that if we act now."
  • According to the new Alzheimer’s Association report, "Generation Alzheimer’s," it is expected that 10 million baby boomers will either die with or from Alzheimer’s, the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression. But, while Alzheimer’s kills, it does so only after taking everything away, slowly stripping an individual’s autonomy and independence. Even beyond the cruel impact Alzheimer’s has on the individuals with the disease, Generation Alzheimer’s also details the negative cascading effects the disease places on millions of caregivers. Caregivers and families go through the agony of losing a loved one twice: first to the ravaging effects of the disease and then, ultimately, to actual death.
  • "Most people survive an average of four to six years after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, but many can live as long as 20 years with the disease. As the disease progresses, the person with dementia requires more and more assistance with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, eating and household activities," said Beth Kallmyer, senior director of Constituent Relations for the Alzheimer’s Association. "This long duration often places increasingly intensive care demands on the nearly 15 million family members and friends who provide unpaid care, and it negatively affects their health, employment, income and financial security."
  • In addition to the human toll, over the next 40 years Alzheimer’s will cost the nation $20 trillion, enough to pay off the national debt and still send a $20,000 check to every man, woman and child in America. And while every 69 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease today, by 2050 someone will develop the disease every 33 seconds - unless the federal government commits to changing the Alzheimer’s trajectory.
  • "Alzheimer’s – with its broad ranging impact on individuals, families, Medicare and Medicaid - has the power to bring the country to its financial knees," said Robert J. Egge, vice president of Public Policy of the Alzheimer’s Association. "But when the federal government has been focused, committed and willing to put the necessary resources to work to confront a disease that poses a real public health threat to the nation – there has been great success. In order to see the day where Alzheimer’s is no longer a death sentence, we need to see that type of commitment with Alzheimer’s."
  • The full text of the Alzheimer’s Association’s "Generation Alzheimer’s" report can be viewed at www.alz.org/boomers.

The Alzheimer's Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

For more information, visit: alz.org.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What exactly are the folks at the Alzheimer’s association doing ?
Since they came into existence the incidence of diagnosis of alzheimers has gone through the roof !

Why is the Alzheimer's Association advocating for a system that is fraught with corruption, abuse and exploitation. They are lobbying for and advocating for the Uniform guardianship act when they know that many guardianships are extremely harmful to people. They strip away all of a person's rights and then leave them to be abused and exploited. Perhaps they should read the recent GAO report.

It is beginning to look like the Alzhiemer’s association is part of the problem with guardianships. In fact Alzheimers (a disease that cannot be diagnosed until one is dead) is the number one reason people are being stripped of their rights, liberty, property and more in guardianships.

The highest cost in any guardianship is the cost of litigations and involving the courts. The uniform guardianship act, while on it’s face appears to want to make things better, in reality will increase the already exorbidant cost of guardianship by adding another court and another set of players to the mix to fleece the victim’s estate.

How can this group say they are advocating for these poor victims and finding a cure is a far cry from finding more ways to label people with this terrible disease and often prematurely or wrongfully. What is the cause of the skyrocketing number of alzhiemer's cases. Guardianship is never a good thing, it is always a last resort when there is no other way for someone to get help and it is often an utterly broken system.

Where is the cure and why is it that everything is now alzheimers and everyone seems to have it. Next thing you know you guys with say people in their 20s have it.

What they used to call senility and forgetfulness in old age is now called full blown Alzheimers.

Now they steal your life, liberty and property when you become a little bit forgetful (if you are old…)

Where is the cure ?

Anonymous said...

Hi, Ray!
That looks wonderful! Thank you so much for getting involved with such an important cause. I can't wait to share your link with my team.

Steve Lanning said...

Thanks, Ray,
I had all the intentions of giving the Alzheimers Assn billing in the American Alliance of Elder Advocates website. But after reading what Mr. Egge, their policy wonk's desire is, I'm not sure.

Our desire with AAEA is to not only state the problem of elder fraud, but give people possible solutions to 'all things elder' they can accomplish themselves.

Mr. Egge's desire is to involve the federal government--and gives not a clue as to what we can do as individuals to help prevent Alzheimers. I urge folks to Google 'preventing Alzheimers' and see the different sites, including Johns Hopkins University research and other.
Here's a quick "I'll bet you didn't know..." list of what we can do to take PERSONAL responsibility (I know that's a tough word these days.) without involving Papa Government once. Did you know that...

--Smoking after age 65 increases your chances of developing Alzheimer’s by 79%?
--Obesity in midlife makes you 3 ½ times more likely to experience Alzheimer’s?
--Diabetes makes you twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s?
Genetics account for only 25% of Alzheimer’s cases?
--Chronic stress may quadruple your risk?

There are a bunch more. AAEA will have a report on preventative measures for Alzheimers. Of course exercising 30 minutes a day and excercising your mind with puzzels, writing, starting a business, and so on is also a great way to keep the gray matter active.

Thanks for all you do, Ray.
Best regards,
Steve Lanning

Anonymous said...

http://www.facebook.com/l/6af098zScePWLfJK8Wcpw_6SeHQ/www.alz.org/national/documents/Adult_Guardianship_Factsheet.pdf

This appears to be Judges, Lawyers, Guardians and The Alzheimer's Association. I thought the alzheimers association was working on a cure but it appears they are also quite involved in advocating for guardianships and loosening up the criterea to diagnosing a person with alzheimers. This is scary for all of us.