Representative Jonathan Jackson, We Need Your Help!

Next week, over 750 volunteer advocates, including those from right here in Illinois, will be meeting with Members of Congress on Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to make their voices heard in the fight against Alzheimer's and all other dementia. I want to strengthen the work of my fellow advocates in D.C. by advocating from home in honor of my grandmothers who passed within months apart from this crippling disease.

Advocates across the country have been relentless in their efforts to shed light on the devasting toll of Alzheimer's and other dementia. For the first time, we have two treatments for the early stages of Alzheimer's disease that can drastically change the course of this fatal disease. While we should be celebrating this accomplishment, we instead are facing unprecedented barriers from the CMS, as they are denying coverage of these two important treatments. We need CMS and our Members of Congress to hear our voices and act quickly to remove barriers to treatment. I’m calling on my Representative, Jonathan Jackson, to join our efforts and press CMS to remove barriers to treatment. Treatment options for Alzheimer’s offer more time with your loved ones. I can only imagine having such options available to my family years ago and the possibility of both grandmothers living today. The lack of access to FDA-approved treatments for Alzheimer's is heart-rending. Every day, more than 2,000 people progress to a more advanced stage of Alzheimer’s, where they are no longer eligible for treatment. And without Medicare coverage, people living with Alzheimer's disease will be expected to pay $26,000 per year for treatment.

Please join me in asking Representative Jonathan Jackson to champion on behalf of the constituents living with Alzheimer’s by urging CMS to remove the barriers on FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments. To learn more about this issue, please visit www.alzimpact.org.

In the Fight to End!

Genice C. Ferrell

Alzheimer's Advocate