Get involved with Alzheimer's Advocacy in South Carolina!
Federal advocacyThe Alzheimer's Association is actively involved in bringing people together at the national level to tackle the challenges of Alzheimer's disease. Click here to learn more about our federal advocacy efforts. South Carolina advocates speak up at the State HouseOn March 3rd, 2015, a commited group of Alzheimer's Association advocates from across South Carolina gathered in Columbia to attend an advocacy training and speak with their state legislators about the importance of restoring funding to for Alzheimer's Caregiver Respite to pre-recession levels. The Alzheimer's Caregiver Respite program, currently funded at $778,706 through the SC Department of Mental Health, provides a much-needed break for Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers by providing temporary care assistance through a $500 voucher. Over 1,700 vouchers were issued to South Carolina families over the last fiscal year of the program. This program was funded at $1 million annually before the economic downturn. 79,000 South Carolinians are living with Alzheimer's, and that number is expected to grow by as much as 52% to 120,000 by 2025. Now is the time to restore this program to help South Carolina families faicing Alzheimer's or a related dementia. STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS ABOUT OUR STATE HOUSE DAY IN 2016!
Become an AdvocateThe Alzheimer's Association invites you to get involved as an Alzheimer's advocate. Join us and speak up for Alzheimer's research and the needs of people with Alzheimer's disease and their families. It's easy to add your voice to ours —sign up to become an advocate today!
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:
South Carolina's State Plan to Address Alzheimer's
The Alzheimer's Association is also fortunate to be very involved in implementation efforts for "Creating Direction: A Guide to Improving Long-Term Care in South Carolina," which was released by the South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health in 2015. This collaborative effort has a great deal of momentum going to address broader long-term care concerns that impact families facing Alzheimer's or related dementia. Click here to view the IMPH report.
For more information about advocacy & public policy, please contact Beth Sulkowski, Vice President of Communications & Advocacy, at 864-699-0620 or bsulkowski@alz.org.
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