USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A September 3, 2015 McKnight’s Senior Living article highlighted UsAgainstAlzheimer’s partnership with The Assisted Living Federation of America and provided a link to the petition and shareable infographics. 

MUST READS AND WATCH 

A September 3, 2015 Sun Sentinel opinion piece by Jennifer Braisted underscored Alzheimer’s unique impact on women. According to Braisted, “Nearly two-thirds of Americans with the disease are women according to the Alzheimer's Association, while 13 million women are suffering or caring for someone with Alzheimer's, making the disease not only a public health crisis, but also a woman's issue. At the age of 65, women without Alzheimer's have more than a one in six chance of developing the disease compared with a one in 11 chance for men. Scientists are starting to question why this trend is occurring and rejecting the conclusion that it is because women have a longer life expectancy.”

A September 3, 2015 The Globe and Mail article (Canada) highlighted Newt Gingrich’s advocacy to double the NIH budget to tackle diseases like Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “Ultimately, the federal U.S. government is on the hook for the medical costs of these and other chronic diseases such as cancer, heart failure, stroke and others. A strong case can be made for fiscal conservatives on both the left and right to reduce future budget health-care costs by increasing spending on breakthrough research. As a fiscal conservative, Mr. Gingrich is troubled by the rising health-care costs the federal government must pay, not to mention the personal costs involved in caregiver personal health and support. He sees basic research as critical to delivering breakthroughs that could reduce future costs, noting that, ‘Delaying the average onset of [Alzheimer’s] by just five years would reduce the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s in 2050 by 42 per cent, and cut costs by a third.’”

A September 3, 2015 KFOR.com broadcast segment profiled one Oklahoma family’s journey with early onset Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “When that happens, it is devastating. Not just for the person diagnosed, but also for their family who is left to take care of them. John Spivey knows the agony of watching a loved one battle the disease. His sister, Mary Bean, was in the prime of her life at just 50-years-old when she was told she had Alzheimer’s.”