Must reads

• An April 6, 2014 Reno Gazette-Journal (NV) article reported on the surge of Alzheimer's in Nevada. According to the article, "Nevada is expected to have the nation's second fastest increase in people with Alzheimer's disease by 2025...This should be a call to the community do more to help people with Alzheimer's disease and also to help the people who care for them, said Peter Reed, director of the Sanford Center for Aging at the University of Nevada, Reno. "We need to have a dialogue at the community level and state level to identify the best way we can support people living with Alzheimer's disease in maintaining a high quality of life," Reed said." 
• An April 6, 2014 Billings Gazette (WY) opinion piece by Joanie Tooley called on policymakers to make Alzheimer's a priority. According to Tooley, "Nearly $1 in every $5 spent by Medicare is on people with Alzheimer's or another dementia. Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and the only one among the top 10 without a way to prevent, stop or even slow its progression. If we could eliminate Alzheimer's, we could save half a million lives every year. It is only through adequate funding and a strong implementation of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease that we will meet its goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 2025." Joanie Tooley is an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Association. 
• An April 4, 2014 Florida Trend article reported on a new report from Florida TaxWatch that found "The number of Floridians affected with Alzheimer's is expected to grow by nearly 50 percent in the next decade, putting a strain on Florida's health care system and increasing costs for taxpayers." According to Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, "Florida must take steps to ensure the state has a sustainable long-term health care system to provide care for all Floridians…Additional research will help Florida identify how to reduce costs associated with treating the elderly population, and allow Florida health care providers to deliver the highest-quality care to its patients." Read report here.