Funding for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research Needed in FY 2024

As we honor National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month in November, I want to make sure our fight is heard and that the research funding needed in fiscal year 2024 is secured for the advancement of finding a cure and prevention for Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.

I became involved with the Alzheimer’s Association, because I have seen firsthand the devastating effects dementia has on a person. My mother was diagnosed with vascular dementia seven years ago. Before my mother was diagnosed, she was a vivacious, independent person. Gradually, her life changed. She struggled to find words when she was talking and needed reminders when it was time to eat. Today, my mother cannot remember what she had for lunch five minutes ago and sometimes points to a fork by her plate and asks what it is. I have learned to accept her cognitive decline and behavioral changes, but it has been a difficult journey watching my mother slip away.

However, there is hope. After a decade of securing historic increases in research funding, we are finally in the era of treatment. While I’m thankful to Congress for investing in the fight against Alzheimer’s and all other dementia, our work is far from over. That’s why I am calling on my U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, and Representative Mike Quigley, who is also a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, to support an additional $321 million in Alzheimer’s research funding in fiscal year 2024. With continued investment, scientists will be able to work at a more rapid pace to advance basic disease knowledge, explore ways to reduce risk, uncover new biomarkers for early diagnosis and drug targeting, develop new treatments, and ultimately, find a cure. This increase in research funding is important to me, because I do not want other people to experience what my mother has endured.

I am grateful our Senators and Congressman Quigley have been long-time champions in our fight and look forward to their continued support when finalizing the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill.

To learn more about the importance of research in our fight, please visit alzimpact.org.