Alzheimer's and Women
My mother was a caregiver for my father who suffered from Cardiac Disease and passed before my mother’s Alzheimer's developed. Mother's story as the family caregiver is a common one in our society. Studies have shown that women make up 60 to 70 percent of the unpaid caregivers to a family member living with Alzheimer's They are no doubt the backbone of our American family.
Today of the 5.6 Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer's 3.4 million over the age of 65 are women living with Alzheimer's themselves . Women at age 65 have twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's than Breast cancer.
As the nation deals with growing Health Crisis. Women are the largest segment of the population living with Alzheimer's and will, as a group, gain the most immediate benefit from an effective treatment.
The BOLD Act HR 4256/S. 2076 will establish Alzheimer's as a National Health Crisis but we need to fully fund the $425 million request for research through the National Institute of Health. It's only through investment in research that we can develop an effective treatment and bring relief to the many women doing such amazing care giving in our society.
I urge you to ask your Congressman to Support the BOLD Act and pass the FY 2019 budget request of $425 million for research. I thank Congressman David Scott of Georgia District 13 for his Cosponsorship of the BOLD Act and ongoing commitment to research funding.