Begin work now to get upper hand on Alzheimer's

By Kelly Hauer

On June 17, an Alzheimer's Association East Central Iowa Chapter board member and friend, Jon Witherell of Marion, passed away at the age of 45 with younger-onset Alzheimer's. Jon was one of the 5.3 million Americans who had been living with Alzheimer's disease.

This intelligent, vibrant, fun-loving human being helped us understand more clearly than ever that Alzheimer's is a public health threat and we must take swift and deliberate action to change its deadly course.

Alzheimer's affects more than the individual. Jon called Alzheimer's the family destroyer. There are 106,474 caregivers providing over 121 million hours of care in our state. Alzheimer's disease is already the fifth-leading cause of death in Iowa.

The Alzheimer's Association report, “Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's disease: A National Imperative” projects that Alzheimer's will exact a significant toll on the country over the next 40 years, both in terms of lives and costs.

While treatments that prevent or cure Alzheimer's disease aren't ideal, this report shows even modest and perhaps, more readily available treatments that delay onset or slow progression of the conditions would improve lives and save money.

During his last year, Jon spent countless hours raising concern for the disease that is knocking on the door of every baby boomer, a population at great risk for developing Alzheimer's. In 2050, up to 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer's disease, creating an enormous strain on the health care system, families and the federal budget. And yet there is no plan on how to deal with this looming crisis.

Jon had been working with his board colleagues advocating for important federal legislation called the National Alzheimer's Project Act - NAPA (S.3036/H.R.4689). The act would launch a campaign to overcome Alzheimer's disease, establishing an interagency advisory council to create a coordinated national Alzheimer's disease plan.

I urge our senators and congressmen from Iowa to review NAPA and sponsor this important legislation as soon as you can. Every American deserves knowing a plan is in place.

Our country cannot afford the Alzheimer's epidemic and you have an opportunity to help us head it off.

Kelly Hauer is executive director of the Alzheimer's Association East Central Iowa Chapter, Cedar Rapids. Comments: Kelly.Hauer@alz.org