Posted: | October 8, 2014 03:31 PM |
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From: | Representative Steve Samuelson |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Co-sponsorship of a resolution designating November 2014 as "Alzheimer's Disease Awareness and Education Month" in Pennsylvania. |
In the near future, I will introduce a resolution designating November 2014 as "Alzheimer's Disease Awareness and Education Month" in Pennsylvania. Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible degenerative brain disorder affecting more than five million Americans. While mostly associated with the elderly, Alzheimer's can also strike younger people in the prime of their lives; about four percent of those diagnosed are under the age of 65. Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the nation in the occurrence of the disease. Last year an estimated 669,000 Pennsylvanians provided over 760 million hours of unpaid care to a family member or loved one with Alzheimer's or a related disorder, saving the state more than $9 billion in care costs. The Pennsylvania Alzheimer's Disease State Planning Committee, which was charged with developing a state plan to address this growing epidemic, finalized its plan earlier this year. The committee's recommendations include: enhancing support for caregivers; supporting research; promoting brain health; and raising awareness of Alzheimer's and related disorders. |
Introduced as HR1091