Alzheimer’s disease has likely touched everyone in Maine, either through a family member, friend or neighbor. Currently, 37,000 Mainers are afflicted with the disease that has no cure and no true treatment. The picture will get bleaker in the oldest state in the nation, with the number of cases projected to double in the next 40 years.
Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease that slowly robs people of their memories and ability to do everyday tasks as simple as dressing and eating. Spouses and children are cast into roles as caregivers, usually with little training and support. The stress on family members can lead to ill health, job loss and financial strain.
In Maine, caregivers provide 77,000 hours of unpaid care to those with Alzheimer’s each year. That care is valued at nearly $1 billion annually, and caregivers themselves have added health care costs of $50 million per year related to the stresses of caregiving, according to figures from the Alzheimer’s Association.
At the national level, caring for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia costs billions of dollars, putting a particular strain on Medicare. It is fast becoming the most expensive disease to manage in the country, surpassing cancer and heart disease.
But funding to tackle Alzheimer’s disease is woefully inadequate. The federal government spends about $550 million per year on research into the disease. According to figures from AARP, the federal government this fiscal year has committed nearly 10 times that amount — $5.4 billion — to cancer research, $3 billion to HIV/AIDS and $1.2 billion to heart disease. To be sure, these are terrible and too often deadly diseases as well, but they are on the decline while Alzheimer’s is rapidly growing.
That’s why a proposal from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins to double federal funding for Alzheimer’s research next year and raise it to $2 billion within five years is timely.
“Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that takes a tremendous personal and economic toll on both the individual and family and is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S.,” Collins, who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Aging, said in a speech in the Senate last week. “If we are to prevent Alzheimer’s from becoming the defining disease of the next generation, it is imperative that we dramatically increase our investment in Alzheimer’s research. Doing so will not just save lives, it will save money.”
The federal government would recoup this investment within three years after a treatment or means of prevention becomes available, Collins said, citing the Alzheimer’s Association.
Increasing federal funding for Alzheimer’s research will help families and save money and, hopefully, find ways to better treat and prevent the disease. It is the right thing to do.
