Increasing Early Detection

of Alzheimers Disease
Presented by Terra Clark

Message and Marketing

Lets Not Forget To Fight For Those Who
Cant Remember

What is Alzheimers?
Alzheimer's is a brain disease that causes a slow
decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills.
Alzheimers disease (AD) is themost common
causeof dementia in America today.
According to theCenters for Disease Control five
million Americans have AD.
Researchers and scientists have been studying
the disease for decades, but there is no cure at
hand.

Signs and Symptoms

According to the Alzheimers Association, there are 10
signs that indicate AD:

Memory loss that disrupts daily life

Challenges in planning and solving problems
Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, work or leisure
Confusion with time or place
Trouble understanding visual images or spatial relationships
New problems with words in speaking or writing
Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
Decreased or poor judgment
Withdrawal from work or social activities
Changes in mood or personality
4

Life Expectancy
Life expectancy varies for each person with AD
Can range from 3 years to 20 years
On average, life expectancy is 8-10 years after
diagnosis
Women have a higher longer life expectancy with
5.7 years, compared to men with 4.2 years after
diagnosis
5

Effects of AD

Alzheimers and Age

Benefits of Early
Detection
Get maximum benefits from available treatment
Have more time to plan for the future (take part
in decisions regarding care, living options,
financial and legal matters)
Help for the individual and loved ones (access to
care and support services)

Economic Impact of Alzheimers

Alzheimers disease currently costs $203 billion in
the U.S. alone
The number is expected to increase to $1.2
trillion by 2050
Alzheimers will cost all payers - Medicare,
Medicaid, HMOs and private insurance $20 trillion
over the next 40 years

10

Why Should Alzheimer's be a

National Priority?

The rapid aging of America as baby boomers enter the age of

greatest risk means a dramatic rise in the number of
Alzheimer's cases in the coming years.
There is no cure or preventative treatments.
There are no disease-modifying drugs to stop, delay or reverse
progression.
The costs for Alzheimer's care and services continue to rise,
straining our overwhelmed health care system and threatening
to bankrupt Medicare and Medicaid.

11

Policy Action Plan

Create a federal mandate that requires
adults age 65 and older to receive yearly
cognitive tests in efforts to increase early
detection rates of Alzheimers.

12

Vehicle
The expansion of diagnosis and care planning with theHOPE for
Alzheimer's Act- (S. 738/H.R. 1386)
In order to provide better medical care and outcomes for individuals with
Alzheimer's and other dementias, possible dementia must first be detected,
the disease must then be diagnosed, care must be planned, and the
diagnosis must be noted in the patient's medical record. Studies also
suggest that early diagnosis and care planning are keys to the improved
long-term health of caregivers. The Health Outcomes, Planning, and
Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act would expand diagnosis of Alzheimer's
disease, provide information on medical and non-medical services for newlydiagnosed patients and their families, and require that a diagnosis be noted
in a patient's medical record.
13

Amendment
The expansion of diagnosis and care planning with theHOPE for

Alzheimer's Act- (S. 738/H.R. 1386)

In order to provide better medical care and outcomes for individuals with
Alzheimer's and other dementias, possible dementia must first be detected, the
disease must then be diagnosed, care must be planned, and the diagnosis must
be noted in the patient's medical record. Studies also suggest that early
diagnosis and care planning are keys to the improved long-term health of
caregivers. The Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for
Alzheimer's Act would require individuals 65 and older to undergo cognitive
testing for Alzheimers Disease annually, expand diagnosis of Alzheimer's
disease, provide information on medical and non-medical services for newlydiagnosed patients and their families, and require that a diagnosis be noted in a
patient's medical record.
14

Venue

Federal level

15

Policy Champions
(Senate)

Mark Kirk (R)

Claire McCaskill (D)

16

Policy Champions (House of

Representatives)

Danny K. Davis (D)

17

Stakeholders
Governmental

Non-Governmental

Pharmaceutical companies

Federal Government

Insurance companies

US Department of Health and

Taxpayers

Families of Alzheimers sufferers

Alzheimers Research and

Human Services

National Institutes of Health

National Institute on Aging

Centers for Disease Control

Prevention Foundation

Alzheimers Association

Alzheimers Research
Association

Alzheimers Foundation of
America

Us Against Alzheimers

18

References
https://d2cauhfh6h4x0p.cloudfront.net/s3fs-public/ad_fact_sheet
-2015_update-final.pdf?
yc_RAJLU3wLHTP0mQDmeO4le0OcwR8T9
http://www.alz.org/
alzheimers_disease_10_signs_of_alzheimers.asp
https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/2012-2013-alzhei
mers-disease-progress-report/national-plan-addressalzheimers
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/alzheimers-supplement
s-targeted-by-u-s-senator/?_r=
0
http://www.healthline.com/health/alzheimers-disease/life-

19