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State Updates

NJ Alzheimer’s Disease Study Commission – A Call to Action!

The NJ Alzheimer’s Disease Study Commission will: provide an overview and framework of the impact of Alzheimer's disease in New Jersey; analyze all areas affected by Alzheimer's issues; identify existing services and service gaps; and propose legislation to help our legislators understand how the state can provide enhanced service to Alzheimer’s disease individuals and their families.



Please contact your legislator and ask him/her to add their support to this bill. Click here to find your legislator and take action! Inform public officials that Alzheimer’s disease affects loved ones, friends and neighbors. It places an enormous burden on family caregivers who must endure prolonged physical, emotional, and financial stress. Urge them to review this bill and commit to supporting this legislation. The bill numbers for this legislation are: (S125/A322).



UPDATE: Alzheimer’s Association Action Summit

This year’s Action Summit was held from March 7-9 in Washington, D.C., where thousands of advocates came together to help make a difference in achieving our vision of a world without Alzheimer's. Alzheimer advocates nationwide gathered in Washington, D.C., to participate in the Advocacy Forum themed, “My Experience, Our Voice,” the signature opportunity for attendees to ensure that their elected officials understand the unrelenting reality and impact of Alzheimer’s disease. As the growing Alzheimer’s population continues to strain an already fragile healthcare system, our job is to help our legislators understand the need for enhanced care and services, and federal research funding to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease.



On Capitol Hill, advocates from New Jersey urged their representatives to support the following key federal priorities:



1. Increase funding for Alzheimer’s disease research

New Jersey representatives were asked to cosponsor the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act (S.1492/H.R.3286). This legislation will increase the federal government’s commitment to fighting Alzheimer’s disease through research, education, and care. If this legislation is enacted it will:

• Authorize $2 billion for Alzheimer’s disease research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• Establish a comprehensive research effort on Alzheimer’s disease at NIH and make Alzheimer’s research a priority at the National Institute on Aging.

• Direct the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to undertake a comprehensive effort to increase awareness of, and education about, Alzheimer’s disease.

• Authorize a toll-free Alzheimer’s Call Center to provide advice, care consultation, information, and referrals on Alzheimer’s disease.

• Reauthorize and expand the Alzheimer Care State Matching Grant Program.



2. Improve detection, diagnosis, and care planning

New Jersey representative were urged to cosponsor the Alzheimer’s Detection, Diagnosis, Care and Planning Act, which will increase detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and provide access, information and support for newly diagnosed individuals and their families. If this legislation is enacted it will:

• Ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to a bundled package of services that will include initial detection, diagnostic evaluation, care planning, and medical record documentation

• Increase detection and diagnosis of dementia in primary care necessary for the provision of critical information and referrals to support services.

• Assist newly diagnosed individuals, and their family caregivers, with understanding the diagnosis, planning for predictable problems, avoiding crises and maintaining the best possible quality of life.



3. Develop a coordinated federal strategic plan to address Alzheimer’s disease

New Jersey representatives were urged by advocates to cosponsor the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (S.3036/H.R.4689). This bill will establish a National Alzheimer’s Project Office and inter-agency Advisory Council, responsible for creating a national plan to overcome the Alzheimer’s disease crisis. If this legislation is enacted, it will:

• Launch a campaign within the federal government to overcome Alzheimer’s disease
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• Establish an inter-agency Advisory Council to create a coordinated National Alzheimer’s Disease Plan.

• Comprehensively address the federal government’s efforts on Alzheimer’s research, care, institutional services, and home and community based programs.

• Accelerate the development of treatments that would prevent, halt or reverse the course of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Decrease health disparities by ensuring that ethnic and racial populations at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease receive much needed care and services.

If you want your voice heard in Congress, click below to write to your New Jersey representatives and ask them to pass these important policies today.

Click here to write to congress.



2010 Facts & Figures Update

During the Action Summit, the new 2010 Facts & Figures Report was released to the public. The report includes a special section on race, ethnicity and Alzheimer’s disease. The report states that African-Americans and Hispanics are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's. African-Americans are about two times more likely than Caucasians to have Alzheimer's disease, and Hispanics are about 1.5 times more likely than Caucasians to develop the disease.

Key facts about Alzheimer's disease:

• 5.3 million people have Alzheimer's

• 172 billion dollars in annual costs

• 7th leading cause of death

• 10.9 million unpaid caregivers

For the full report, click here.


Alzheimer's Association, Greater New Jersey Chapter: Annual Education and Research Conference

The 2010 Education and Research Conference: New Directions in Research and Care is one of the largest professional conferences in the tri-state area with a dedicated focus on the care and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. It is scheduled for Friday, April 16, at The Palace at Somerset Park, Somerset.

The conference is designed to provide healthcare professionals with the latest information on dementia research and care, the opportunity to earn continuing education credits and network with over 700 professionals who regularly attend this full-day of specialized presentations and workshops. The workshops are focused on dementia care practices that build capacity and enhance the care that healthcare professionals provide.

If you would like more information about attending the conference, exhibiting at the conference or becoming a volunteer, please call 609.275.1180.

For more information on public policy and advocacy, please visit our Web page, www.alz.org/nj. Thank you for visiting our blog; we welcome your comments here.