Alzheimer's

Floor Speech

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Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California,
Congressman John Garamendi, for the time, and I congratulate him for
organizing this evening's Special Order Hour on Alzheimer's Disease.

As the Co-Chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's
Disease, I know how devastating this disease can be on patients,
families, and caregivers. The Task Force works on a bipartisan basis to
increase awareness of Alzheimer's, strengthen the federal commitment to
improving the lives of those affected by the disease, and assist the
caregivers who provide their needed support.

Alzheimer's disease in the U.S. is at crisis proportions. As our
population ages, the number of persons affected by this brain disorder
are expected to triple by 2050. The costs associated with Alzheimer's
disease and other forms of dementia are also growing at an
unsustainable rate. A recent RAND study of adults ages 70 and older
found that the total economic cost of dementia in 2010 was estimated to
be $109 billion for direct care alone. That is higher than the cost of
both heart disease and cancer. Furthermore, the economic cost of
dementia rises to $159 billion to $215 billion when the cost of
informal care is included.

In the U.S., someone develops Alzheimer's every 67 seconds. According
to recent data, women have a 1 in 6 estimated lifetime risk of
developing the disease at age 65, while the risk for men is nearly 1 in
11. The Alzheimer's Association estimates as many as 16 million
Americans over age 65 could suffer from Alzheimer's by 2050. It is now
the fifth leading cause of death in my home state of California.

Alzheimer's has a devastating impact upon families. Right now nearly
15 million people, mostly family members, provide unpaid care for
individuals with Alzheimer's or dementia, a market value of more than
$220.2 billion. In California alone, about 1.5 million unpaid
caregivers grapple with the tremendous challenges of Alzheimer's
disease or dementia every day. Caregivers include spouses, children,
and even grandchildren. As compared to caregivers for other diseases,
Alzheimer's caregivers disproportionately report being forced to miss
work, reduce work hours, quit their jobs, or change jobs due to
caregiving demands. They are more likely to experience financial
hardship, report health difficulties, experience emotional stress and
suffer from sleep disturbance.

The bipartisan supported National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease
calls for a cure or an effective treatment for Alzheimer's by 2025. In
an effort to meet this goal, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education approved a budget for
fiscal year 2015 that calls for an additional $100 million in funding
for the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to expand Alzheimer's disease
research. NIA, along with other institutes at the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), are supporting a number of promising Alzheimer's
disease research projects, including cutting-edge ``prevention'' trials
that are studying whether or not the disease can be prevented or slowed
substantially by administering treatments earlier in the disease
process.

I am urging the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee to
include at least the additional $100 million for the NIA in the final
budget package for FY 2015. This modest increase in Alzheimer's
research funding will provide vital resources to support meritorious
Alzheimer's disease research projects. This action will also
demonstrate further resolve in support of our national priority of
eradicating this insidious brain disorder.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human
Services, and Education also included language directing NIH to submit
a professional judgment budget for Alzheimer's disease research. As a
cosponsor of the Alzheimer's Accountability Act (H.R. 4351), I believe
that unfiltered information specifying the resources necessary to meet
the goals and objectives laid out in the National Plan would provide
Congress with a valuable tool for setting research and service
priorities.

I also plan to urge the President to include robust funding for
Alzheimer's research and caregiver support services in his fiscal year
2016 budget, which the President will be submitting to Congress early
next year. Increased funding for Alzheimer's programs will allow us to
meet these challenges head on and enhance our chances of meeting the
goals articulated in the National Plan.

As we continue to search for a cure, our nation is at a critical
crossroads that requires decisive action to assure the safety and
welfare of the millions of Americans with Alzheimer's disease and
dementia. Together, let us commit to take every possible action to
improve treatments for Alzheimer's patients, support caregivers, and
invest in research to find a cure for this disease.

Once again, I thank my colleague from California for organizing
tonight's Special Order.

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