Submitted Resolutions

Floor Speech

SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - June 16, 2009)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution in support of the goals and ideals of National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and National Memory Screening Day, including the development of a national health policy on dementia screening and care.

As co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, and as someone with a mother who has been diagnoses with disease, I strongly believe that our health care system needs to do a much better job of promoting early detection of dementia and other memory problems. Events such as National Memory Screening Day are a meaningful step in raising the awareness needed to move us in that direction.

The National Institute on Aging, NIA, estimates that between 2.4 million and 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease--a progressive degenerative disorder that attacks the brain's nerve cells, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skill, behavioral changes, and ultimately, death. Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging; however, age is the greatest known risk factor with the incidence doubling for every, 5 year interval beyond age 65.

Alzheimer's disease exacts a huge toll on caregivers. Nearly 60 percent of individuals with the disease live at home under the care of family members. Caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease face a variety of challenges and spend more time providing assistance than caregivers of people with other types of diseases, from helping loved ones with bathing and dressing to managing their legal and financial affairs.

Alzheimer's disease drains more than $148 billion from the nation's economy each year. If the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease continues to increase as expected, the $91 billion spent in 2005 on Medicare costs for care of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and dementia patients is projected to increase to $189 billion by 2015.

There are serious deficiencies in our current healthcare system related to diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. A 2006 editorial in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society estimated that missed diagnoses represent greater than 25 percent of the dementia cases and may be as high as 90 percent. This precludes many from getting early treatment which most researchers agree leads to optimal therapy with available and emerging medications.

Screening is a simple and safe evaluation tool that assesses memory and other intellectual functions to determine whether additional testing is necessary. Memory screening can be done in a medical environment, e.g. dementia clinic, physician's office, or in a community setting, e.g. senior center, pharmacy. Such screenings are not a diagnosis, but can indicate whether a complete medical evaluation would be beneficial. Memory can be affected by a number of factors, ranging from stress, lack of sleep, vitamin deficiencies, depression and thyroid problems, to such illnesses as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. In general, the earlier the diagnosis, the easier it is to treat these conditions.

Memory screenings are one of the major focal points of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America's, AFA, national initiatives. Since 2003, AFA has sponsored National Memory Screening Day, NMSD, annually in collaboration with community organizations to promote early detection of memory problems as well as Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses, and encourage appropriate intervention. It has been held each November to coincide with National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. On November 18, 2008, qualified health care professionals at nearly 2,200 sites nationwide offered free confidential memory screenings to an estimated 54,000 participants, as well as follow-up resources and educational materials about dementia and successful aging. In 2009, AFA will hold National Memory Screening Day on November 17.

Most people are not inclined to discuss memory concerns with their health care providers. A survey conducted during AFA's 2007 National Memory Screening Day found that 68 percent of respondents had concerns about their memory. However, while more than 44 percent had visited their primary care physician within the last 6 months, fewer than one in four of those with self-identified memory problems had discussed the issue with their physician. Primary care providers might be more likely to recommend further evaluation if individuals presented their abnormal memory screening results from events like National Memory Screening Day. Community screenings such as National Memory Screening Day generally educate participants about questions to ask their health care providers and empower them to begin a dialogue.

With this resolution I hope we can draw attention to these efforts and further this important cause. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month and National Memory Screening Day by cosponsoring this measure.

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