WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new report released today shows that more five million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s Disease and that figure is predicted to climb to as many as 16 million by 2050, as our nation’s baby-boomers age.
Senator Susan Collins, co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, testified today before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Retirement and Aging in support of legislation to help combat those rising numbers. Senator Collins is an original cosponsor of The Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act of 2007, authored by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Kit Bond (R-MO), which would double the funding for Alzheimer’s research at National Institutes of Health from $640 million to $1.3 billion. The increase would help give researchers the resources they need to make breakthroughs that are on the horizon in diagnosis, prevention and intervention. It would create a national summit on Alzheimer’s to look at the most promising breakthroughs. The bill would also create a system for caregiver support that provides updated news, resources and tools for caregivers, families and physicians.
“As someone whose family has experienced the pain of Alzheimer’s, I know that there is no more helpless feeling than to watch the progression of this dreadful disease,” said Senator Collins. “It is an agonizing experience to look into the eyes of a loved one only to receive a confused look in return.
Senator Collins is also an original cosponsor of The Alzheimer’s Family Assistance Act of 2007, which would provide a tax credit of up to $3,000 to help families meet the costs of caring for a loved one with a long-term, chronic disease, such as Alzheimer’s. The legislation would also encourage more Americans to plan for their future long-term care needs by providing a tax deduction to help them purchase long-term care insurance.
“We have two choices,” said Senator Collins. “We can sit back and continue to pay the bills and endure the suffering, or we can aggressively pursue a national strategy aimed at preventing, delaying, and even curing this devastating and debilitating disease. We have made tremendous progress; this is no time to take our foot off the accelerator.”