Advocate in Desert Southwest Chapter

 

 

 


 2015advocacy


What is an Advocate?

Alzheimer advocates play an important role in improving the quality of care and quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families by working to improve dementia care and services; improve access to community-based care; improve quality care in residential settings; and expand funding for research and public programs serving people with dementia.

As an advocate, you will:

  • Receive regular updates about current legislative and public policy issues.
  • Stay on top of policy and legislative issues through alerts and updates.
  • Make calls or write to legislators to forward public policy priorities to improve quality of life for those living with Alzheimer’s.


Join the Cause

The Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter invites you to become an Alzheimer's Congressional Team Member and advocate for the cause. Whoever you are, wherever you live, there is something you can do to make a difference. Join us and speak up for the needs and rights of people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families. For further information on becoming an Alzheimer's Congressional Team Member in your district please contact James Fitzpatrick, Director of Advocacy, at jfitzpatrick@alz.org or 602.528.0545 or sign up online to become an advocate and be kept up-to-date on advocacy issues. Add your voice to ours - become an advocate today!

 

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Act Now

Help us elevate Alzheimer's from a disease to a cause.

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 Arizona & Nevada Advocacy

Arizona:
For more information on your Congressional and Legislative districts, elected state officials and the status of state bills please visit the Arizona State Legislature website.

If you need to register to vote in Arizona please visit the Arizona Secretary of State website.

For more information on the Arizona Alzheimer's State Plan visit this website.

The Arizona Alzheimer's Task Force Work Teams need members! Please read the overview of the Task Force and the four Work Teams. If you are interested in serving on one of the Work Teams please contact James Fitzpatrick at  602-528-0545, or jfitzpatrick@alz.org.

Nevada:
For information on your Congressional and Legislative districts, elected state officials and the status of state bills please visit the Nevada State Legislature website.

If you need to register to vote in Nevada please visit this website.

For more information on the Nevada State Plan To Address Alzheimer's Disease visit this website.

For information on the Nevada State Alzheimer's Task force please visit this website.

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Federal Advocacy

Increase Funding For Research
Alzheimer's is the most expensive disease in America. Nearly on in every five Medicare dollars is spent on someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia, and by 2050 it will be nearly one in every three dollars. Between now and 2050, caring for people with Alzheimer's will cost our country $20.8 trillion. If we meet the goal of the National Alzheimer's plan to have an Alzheimer's treatment by 2050, Medicare spending would be reduced on those with the disease by nearly 25 percent in 2050 alone - and the federal government would recoup its research investment within three years.

While congress has recently provided additional funding for Alzheimer's research at the NIH - including an additional $25 million in fiscal year 2015 - the chronic underinvestment in Alzheimer's research persists and it continues to fall far short of what researchers say is need to reach the 2025 goal. For every $100 that the NIH spends on Alzheimer's research, Medicare and Medicaid spend over $26,00 caring for those with the disease. Congress must continue its commitment to the fight against Alzheimer's by increasing funding for research by $300 million in fiscal year 2016.

Healthy Outcomes, Planning, and Education Act (HOPE)
To insure high quality medical care and better outcomes for individuals with Alzheimer's, the disease must be diagnosed, care must be planned, and the diagnosis must be noted in the individual's medical record. Studies also suggest that an early diagnosis and care planning improve a caregivers long-term health. Yet, less than half of seniors who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, or their caregivers, are aware of the diagnosis. One reason is the lack of time and resources available to doctors to discuss treatment options and support services with newly diagnosed individuals and their caregivers.

Consistent with the National Alzheimer's Plan's call for timely diagnosis and education for newly-diagnosed individuals, the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act would provide Medicare coverage for comprehensive care planning services - for both the individual and his/her caregiver - for a dementia diagnosis. Providers would be required to document the diagnosis and care planning services in the individual's medical record. The federal government would conduct outreach to providers to educate them about the new benefit.

For more information on Federal advocacy priorities and updates please visit our National Advocacy website.

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Following our recent victory in establishing a National Alzheimer’s Plan, we asked advocates like you to reach out to members of Congress and urge their commitment to $100 million in resources for Alzheimer’s research, education, care and support. Your efforts are making a difference.