Alzheimer's Disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the Top 10 that can not be prevented, cured or even slowed. Thanks to the hard work of advocates, the White House has taken notice and made this a priority. On January 4, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA). Achieving the vision of eliminating the burden of Alzheimer's disease starts with concrete goals.
Below are the five that form the foundation of this National Plan:
- Prevent and Effectively Treat Alzheimer's Disease by 2025
- Optimize Care Quality and Efficiency
- Expand Supports for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Families
- Enhance Public Awareness and Engagement
- Track Progress and Drive Improvement
On February 7, 2012, the Obama Administration announced a historic $156 million investment to tackle Alzheimer's disease. This investment includes:
Immediately increasing Alzheimer's disease research funding. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) immediately dedicated an additional $50 million from its fiscal year 2012 funding to Alzheimer's disease research.
Sustaining and growing the Alzheimer's disease research investment. The President's fiscal year 2013 budget proposes $80 million in new Alzheimer's disease research funding. Together, the fiscal years 2012 and 2013 investments would total $130 million in new Alzheimer's disease research funding over two years.
Supporting people with Alzheimer's disease and their families and educating the public and providers. The initiative also includes $26 million to support the goals of the National Plan, including:
- Education and outreach to improve the public's understanding of Alzheimer's disease
- Outreach to enhance health care providers' knowledge of the disease
- Expanded support for people with Alzheimer's disease and caregivers in the community
- Improved data collection and analysis to better understand the impact of Alzheimer's disease on people with the disease, families and the health and long-term care systems
Plans for NAPA in January 2013;
- Expand research to identify the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease, and translate this information into potential targets for intervention.
- Expand genetic epidemiological research to identify risk and protective factors for Alzheimer's disease.
- Monitor and identify strategies to increase enrollment of racial and ethnic minorities in Alzheimer's disease studies.
- Conduct clinical trials on the most promising pharmacological interventions.
- Continue clinical trials on the most promising lifestyle interventions.
- Identify imaging and bio markers to monitor disease progression.
- Educate the public about the latest research findings.
- Create a task force to improve care for these specific populations.
- Develop and circulate evidence-based interventions for people with AD and their caregivers.
- Examine awareness of long-term care needs and barriers to planning for these needs.
- Design and conduct a national education and outreach initiative.
For more information please visit
http://www.alzheimers.gov/pdf/NationalPlantoAddressAlzheimersDisease.pdf
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