Like a West Texas wildfire, some ideas spread on their own. They catch hold and take over our conscientiousness.
Some ideas are slower to spread. The slow ones are usually about things that are scary. Alzheimer's Disease is an idea like that.
But, fighting for a world without Alzheimer's is an idea worth spreading.
I'm proud of the work the Alzheimer's Association does to spread this idea (disclosure: I'm on their board). And, I'm proud of it's CEO, Mike Spencer, for his recent Op Ed piece in the Dallas Morning News. I couldn't resist sharing it with you. I hope you're as moved by it as I have been.
The Silver Tsunami
I want you to think about something you do not want to think about—Alzheimer’s disease. When it struck my family, I was not prepared to think about it. If we do not demand that our legislators make this issue a national priority, we will not only be thinking about Alzheimer’s more than we want to—we will be living it in ever increasing numbers…as more than 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 every day.
The Issue. One in eight people over 65 have Alzheimer’s. That translates to an estimated 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, including as many as 340,000 here in Texas. This does not include the 1.2 million Texans providing unpaid care for a loved one with dementia.
For families that cannot afford to pay for home healthcare or an assisted-living facility, this is a grim reality, particularly, if they are still trying to work outside of the home: 66% took time off, 14% took a leave of absence, 10% reduced hours or take a less demanding job, and 10% quit working altogether.
The Problem. Alzheimer’s disease is moving in the wrong direction—increasing by 66% since 2000 when the other major diseases are decreasing.
Even though Alzheimer’s has surpassed diabetes to become the 6th leading cause of death in this country and is the only cause of death in the top ten that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed, the government focus and dollars have not been allocated accordingly. The National Institutes of Health spends about $3 billion a year on HIV/AIDS research, while Alzheimer’s, with five times as many victims, receives a mere $480 million.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor had this to say in an article that she co-authored about a year ago: “OUR government is ignoring what is likely to become the single greatest threat to the health of Americans: Alzheimer’s disease, an illness that is 100% incurable and 100% fatal.”
For each penny the National Institutes of Health spends on Alzheimer’s research, we spend more than $3.50 on caring for people with the condition.
While a cure is the ultimate goal, even delaying the onset of the disease or slowing its progression by 5 years could result in dramatic savings and improved quality of life for millions.
Alzheimer’s costs the nation $183 billion now. By 2050, these costs will soar to $1 trillion, and Medicare costs will increase nearly 600 percent– if we do nothing.
The Hope. History has shown us that when the government will focus its attention and dollars on a health issue like this one, within a decade dramatically improved treatments or even a cure are possible. We’ve seen evidence of this with typhoid, polio, HIV/AIDS and some cancers.
Last January, Congress and President Obama responded to this public health crisis and their constituents by signing into law the National Alzheimer’s Project Act. The Department of Health and Human Services has created an advisory council charged with making recommendations to Congress on how to reduce the financial and human toll of this disease.
The Solution. We are at a critical moment where the creation of a strategic plan to address the escalating Alzheimer’s crisis is within our grasp, but we need the nation’s leaders to follow through and fulfill their commitment.
The nation needs the President to fulfill his promise and deliver a strong national plan as well as the necessary steps and resources to put the plan in motion.
I urge you to let our government know what you expect from them on this issue, because no matter who is in office this Fall, we cannot afford to wait…because Alzheimer’s will not wait.
Mike Spencer
President & CEO
Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Dallas
Thanks, Mike. Please keep spreading this idea. It's important.
