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Volunteer to Help End Alzheimer's
By becoming an advocacy volunteer, you
can play a vital role in our efforts to strengthen federal, state and local policy
makers’ commitment to end this devastating disease.
Alzheimer’s Congressional Teams and Ambassadors are grassroots volunteers who serve as the Association’s primary messengers for their member of Congress.
They work directly with our staff to build relationships with their Member
of Congress through personal contacts, meetings and other activities.
Things Congressional Team members do include:
- Meet and talk with their legislators
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Write letters to the editor of their local newspaper
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Attend and ask questions at local town hall meetings or other community events
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Attend our annual Alzheimer's Advocacy Day in their State Capitol
- Attend our National Advocacy Forum in Washington
D.C.
 We ask volunteers for a 1 year commitment, and to plan on spending about 5 hours on advocacy. We train, support and work with you to help you be a great Advocacy Volunteer! We also
encourage those with the disease to participate. Individuals
in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease are among our most powerful,
influential advocates. A person who is living with Alzheimer's and chooses to
raise their voice against the disease not only sends a powerful message to
legislators at the state and federal level, but helps remove stigma and
negative assumptions associated with Alzheimer's disease.See what some of our advocates have to say about why they get involved:
Sign Up!
There
are a few ways you can get involved with us. Here’s how:
- Sign
up to receive e-mail updates on all things Alzheimer’s Advocacy related. Click
here.
- Attend the next quarterly Policy Committee Meeting in your region. If you are interested, please contact Jessica Rothhaar at jrothhaar@alz.org or 408-372-9936
- Join your local
Alzheimer’s Congressional Team (ACT). Fill out the application here.
What We’re Working On
Federal Policy
 Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in America, with costs set to skyrocket in the years ahead. Our Trajectory Report shows how a treatment by 2025 saves lives and dollars. For Medicare and Medicaid, treatments equal savings. In 2015 the total cost of Alzheimer’s will be $226 billion, including $150 billion to Medicare and Medicaid. Meanwhile, only 0.25% of this total has been committed to Alzheimer’s research, the only path to reducing this cost. The most recent facts and figures on the disease can be found here and the most recent facts on funding can be found here.
>> Find out who represents you in Congress
Our 2015 Federal Priorities:
(Has your Member of Congress cosponsored the HOPE Act, view the list of current co-sponsors in the House and Senate)
State Policy
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Advocacy Volunteers receive California Assembly Resolution ACR80 from Assemblymen
James Gallagher (R - Nicolaus) & Bill Quirk (D - Hayward)
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To achieve meaningful progress, states must tackle Alzheimer's not only as an aging issue, but also as a public health crisis. Alzheimer's disease is a pivotal public health battle,and state governments stand on the front line. The Alzheimer's Association calls on state policymakers to take bold action to confront this epidemic, focusing on four key priorities:
- Develop and implement a comprehensive state Alzheimer's disease plan
- Adopt uniform adult guardianship legislation
- Improve dementia training
- Collect data on the prevalence of Alzheimer's
California
- Find out who represents you in the California Legislature
- Data on Alzheimer's in California: statewide
- California’s five Alzheimer’s Association chapters work together to advance statewide public policy goals through the California Council.
- 2015 State Policy Platform
- State Plan: In 2011, the Alzheimer’s Association and California Department of Health and Human Services released the California State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease, which includes recommendations to California policymakers to help California prepare for the coming Alzheimer’s epidemic and improve conditions for people with the disease and their families. The components of the State Plan are continuously reviewed by the California Council, and our California legislative priorities are guided by the plan’s key recommendations.
- Coordinated Care Initiative or
Cal MediConnect: We are working closely
with the California Health and Human Services Agency to ensure that all managed care plans in all 6 participating counties in Cal MediConnect have at least one
care coordination staff trained in dementia care management.
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