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ADVOCACY
Challenging the Presidential Candidates: Make Alzheimer's Part of the
Debate in 2008
The presence of Alzheimer's increases the cost of treating other chronic
conditions, largely because of the absence of care management strategies.
The already high cost of expensive chronic conditions like coronary heart
disease, congestive heart failure and diabetes are more than doubled by
Alzheimer's. Yet many persons with Alzheimer's go without needed treatment
and long-term care. Presidential campaign platforms will lay the groundwork
for essential changes.
If you want to help create a change in Alzheimer’s disease research and care funding, join the Alzheimer’s advocacy team.
People with dementia can help change the realities of living with dementia. We at Dementia USA believe that:
Funding for dementia research and care should be increased.
People with dementia and their families must become political activists for social services and for research.
Both people with healthy brains and people with dementia alike must participate in research into drugs and services to treat dementia and to cure.
Direct services for people with dementia must be improved and increased.
Adult day programs must address cognitive stimulation and the psychosocial needs of individuals with dementia and provide evidence of the effectiveness of their programs.
The term, “day care,” must be replaced with a term more respectful of their adulthood. The terms day clubs, day services, day centers or adult education programs are all better alternatives.
Communities must improve access to resources such as doctors’ buildings, libraries, grocery stores through public transportation. Similarly, they must improve way-finding cues for people with dementia.
Active systems for locating and rescuing wanders must be adopted.
The misconceptions, stigma and discrimination around dementia must be corrected.
In its early stages, dementia must be regarded as a handicapping condition, and the Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations must be allowed for people with dementia
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