The COVID-19 pandemic threatens millions in this country and around the world. The numbers of people affected in this country continue to grow at an alarming rate. This presents additional challenges for the 5 million Americans including 190 thousand Georgians who are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia, their caregivers, the research community and the nonprofits serving these vulnerable populations.
Congress can act to help the Alzheimer’s and other dementia communities during this crisis, by including provisions to support them in the fourth economic relief package.
The provisions designed to support people with Alzheimer’s and other dementia are as follows:
● The Promoting Alzheimer’s Awareness to Prevent Elder Abuse Act (H.R. 6813/ S. 3703) would require the Department of Justice to develop training materials to assist professionals who support victims of abuse living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia in order to improve the quality of their interactions with this vulnerable population, and help protect them from elder abuse.
● The bipartisan Improving HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act (S. 880/H.R. 1873) which would increase the use of the care planning benefit in order to help more families by educating clinicians on the Alzheimer’s and dementia care planning services available through Medicare.
● During this crisis nonprofits are providing tremendous support to the communities they serve, despite facing economic hardships. Congress must establish an exclusive fund to support nonprofits with between 500 to 10,000 employees, including loan forgiveness to ensure charities like the Alzheimer’s Association can continue to effectively serve the communities that depend on them.
Please join me and the Alzheimer’s Association in encouraging Senator Kelly Loeffler to include these bipartisan policies that will have an impact on the millions of families affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia in the fourth COVID-19 pandemic and relief package.