Opinion: It's Time for a Strategic Plan for Alzheimer's

The presidential race gets a tremendous amount of publicity. However, there's a race that affects many of us closer to home, and that's the race to find a cure for Alzheimer’s.

It’s been more than a year since the president signed into law the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), which requires the federal government to create a strategic plan to address the Alzheimer’s crisis.

The key to this law is in how it's implemented. A plan is now being developed which will address Alzheimer’s-related care, services and the all-important research that we so sorely need in order to find a way to stop this disease, which has a devastating impact on the patient, as well as on their loved ones who tirelessly provide for their care.

Today, an estimated 5.4 million Americans suffer with Alzheimer’s, includingmore than 300,000 in New York state, where almost a million caregivers provide unpaid care. By 2050, if left unchecked, then as many as 16 million Americans will have this disease.

Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease. It steals your memory and slowly makes you incapable of doing anything, including walking, thinking and even swallowing.

I am painfully aware of this, having watched — over a period of 20 years — my mother slowly waste away from Alzheimer’s and my father give up his life to care for her.

That's why I now serve as an Alzheimer’s Ambassador for the Long Island chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, and why I'm urging everyone to ensure that a comprehensive and effective national strategic plan is formulated by visiting napa.alz.org and becoming advocates.

By doing so you could share your stories and opinions, and urge your legislators to require a comprehensive NAPA Plan.

We're at a critical juncture where the creation of a strategic plan to address the escalating crises is within our grasp. We need support in urging our nation’s leaders to fulfill their commitment for the millions today living with this disease, and the millions more tomorrow who might face it.

Kathleen Scopp-Distler
Ambassador, Third Congressional District
Alzheimer’s Association Long Island