Today, 76,000 Coloradans live with Alzheimer’s disease, a number expected to rise by 21% in the next few years. Congress is considering ways to help and I urge them to take immediate action on some important policies.

I lost my dad to Alzheimer’s. I know the effects of this unrelenting disease and how hopeless it feels to watch the steady decline of a loved one. More must be done before we will see the growing numbers begin to slow and families find hope and relief.

Congress is considering reauthorizing two laws that have helped our nation make progress in research, care and awareness about Alzheimer’s disease – the National Alzheimer’s Plan Act and the Alzheimer’s Accountability Act. These important laws have helped researchers and care providers understand the disease and the needs of the families struggling with it. Extending them will enable this progress to continue at a time when even more people could benefit from it.

Additionally, the Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act would streamline the fractured, ever-changing healthcare maze that Alzheimer’s families must navigate to get care they need.

Coordinating delivery of care can reduce costs while providing improved quality of care.

I fear I will face my dad’s grim diagnosis one day. As a volunteer advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association, I feel more empowered than ever to continue to fight for a cure and to help all those whose lives have been turned upside down to care for suffering loved ones. We need Congress to keep the train of progress moving to end this devastating disease.

Thank you to Congresswoman Brittney Pettersen for her support in advocating for access to treatments by signing the Congressional Letter to CMS. We are excited to continue working with Congresswoman Pettersen and her staff to support these important policy efforts. 

Sheri Foote, Arvada