Lobby representatives to pass Alzheimer’s legislation

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Fellow Washingtonians who attended the recent Alzheimer’s Advocacy Forum in Washington, D.C. tell us it’s encouraging to know we are making progress in the fight against this disease and other dementias.

I feel very strongly about the importance of Alzheimer’s research, care planning for people following an Alzheimer’s diagnosis and palliative and hospice care for patients in the end stage of dementia.

I care about this issue because I have watched friends of my parents cope with this and now I am watching two of my closest friends do the same. It is difficult.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most expensive disease in America, costing more than $236 billion in 2016.

For those who have been diagnosed early, well-informed financial, legal and medical planning drastically improves a dementia patient’s quality of life. For those in end stages, focusing on symptom management and reduction of pain and stress reduces unnecessary hospitalizations, sparing families trauma while saving public funds.

Congressman Jim McDermott, Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maria Cantwell have been very supportive of Alzheimer’s legislation, which is outlined at www.alz.org/advocate. I thank them all and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 3119/S. 2748, which will increase the availability of palliative care and hospice providers.

— Margaret Heldring