Alzheimer’s Disease is a Public Health Crisis

Too often Alzheimer’s is treated as an aging issue, ignoring the public health consequences of a disease that someone in the U.S. develops every 66 seconds. And with two-thirds of its annual costs being borne by Medicare and Medicaid, it is one that demands more attention from our government.

As a daughter who helped care for her mother with Alzheimer’s, I understand the physical, emotional, and financial costs of the disease. Today, Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in Georgia, with about 140,000 people currently with the disease. Caregivers in Georgia provided approximately 600,000,000 hours of unpaid care, worth $7,577,000,000.

Congress has a chance to take decisive action passing the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act (S. 2076/H.R. 4256). Endorsed by the Alzheimer’s Association, the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act would create an Alzheimer’s public health infrastructure across the country to implement effective Alzheimer's interventions including increasing early detection and diagnosis, reducing risk and preventing avoidable hospitalizations.

Alzheimer’s, the most expensive disease in the United States, costs the country more than $259 billion a year. If we are going to end Alzheimer’s disease, then we must start treating it like the public health threat it is. We need the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act now.

Join me in asking Congressman Woodall to fight for the millions of Americans affected by Alzheimer’s by sponsoring the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act.