February 03, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

African American Network Against Alzheimer’s calls the disease an unappreciated disparities issue, the growing need for Alzheimer's funding, and what happens when your long-term care policy lapses (read more). 

 

Must reads

  • A February 2, 2014 Kansas City Star opinion piece by Lewis W. Diuguid highlighted Alzheimer's impact on the African American community. According to Diuguid, "Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death for all Americans, and the fourth leading cause of death for older African Americans age 85 and older, the study notes. The African American Network Against Alzheimer’s calls the disease “an unappreciated disparities issue,” adding that Alzheimer’s in general should “create a sense of urgency among policymakers to deal with this growing problem.” Keep in mind that African Americans are 13.6 percent of the U.S. population, but more than 20 percent of Americans with the disease are black."
  • A February 3, 2014 Huffington Post piece by author Joan Sutton called for increased awareness and funding for Alzheimer's disease. According to Sutton, "If research money was allocated according to the burden imposed on individuals and taxpayers, Alzheimer's would be, if not at the top of the list, very near it. But research money is not allocated according to need or burden…The vast amounts of money made available to Breast Cancer and AIDS is a good example of how effective political pressure and public awareness can be. Nancy Reagan, Rita Hayworth's daughter, Princess Yasmin Khan, the Lauder families, Mel Goodes, the former CEO of Warner-Lamber, and the Alzheimer's Association are among the voices urging more research. All the families touched by Alzheimer's need to join them in speaking out, in insisting, attention must be paid." 
  • A January 31, 2014 New York Times New Old Age blog post highlighted the risk of lapsed long-term care insurance for dementia and Alzheimer's sufferers. According to the post, "So he turned to the Virginia legislature, where Delegate Jennifer McClellan has introduced HB719, which would require insurers to send lapse or termination notices to both policyholders and third parties via certified mail or commercial services like FedEx or UPS. That would provide proof that companies notify customers, or don’t.“It’s too late for my parents, but I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone in Virginia, or anywhere, ever again,” Michael Pirron said. The state AARP chapter has lobbied for the bill and the state Alzheimer’s Association has endorsed it. David DeBiasi, advocacy director for AARP Virginia, thinks the bill has a shot, partly because “it will make sense to those trying to limit the size of entitlement programs and the escalating cost of Medicaid.”" [Full article attached]