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Dec 2010  |  By Liz Logan  |  Comments

Easy Ways to Support Finding a Cure for Alzheimer’s

Many Alzheimer’s patients can’t advocate for themselves—so we need to do it for them.

Here are a few ways you can get involved in the effort to find new treatments, and even a cure, for Alzheimer’s. Time is of the essence, since the number of people diagnosed is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years.

If you want to help, start talking about Alzheimer’s with everyone you know.

In 2010, the government spent $6 billion on cancer. How much did it spend on Alzheimer’s? Only $469 million. So, it’s no wonder that fewer people are getting cancer, and fewer are dying of it. We need to do for Alzheimer’s what’s been done for cancer, and that means reducing the stigma and getting over the denial.

You can help find a cure.

Congress recently passed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, which will establish a coordinated National Alzheimer’s Disease Plan across the federal government. It now heads to the President’s desk.

The next step is the passage of the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act, which would authorize $2 billion per year in research funding for Alzheimer’s disease at the National Institutes of Health. To support the effort, you can send a email to your Congressman on the Alzheimer’s Association’s website. The association also has many other ways to get involved.