Help from Congress for Families Coping with Alzheimer's

As a volunteer community educator and advocate, the Alzheimer’s Association has been important to me and this community in providing critical educational resources, immeasurable support for caregiving family members and developing research efforts to end the scourge of this disease. When my father died of the disease we needed all of these aspects of the Association’s work. Now more than ever with the growing numbers of persons at risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia we cannot afford to lose ground.

With that being said, I understand many nonprofit organizations, including the Alzheimer’s Association, have been severely financially impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have not been included in a relief package by the federal government. Therefore, I am asking that my Representative Danny Davis expand nonprofit access to credit to support nonprofit employers with between 500 and 10,000 employees in the next COVID-19 relief package. I cannot imagine another family having to face challenges due to Alzheimer’s or a related dementia without having the support, programs and resources of the Alzheimer’s Association, like my family is relied on.

To continue our fight to End Alzheimer’s, our nation’s most expensive and devastating disease, please join me in encouraging Congressman Davis to consider the millions of Illiois families that depend on nonprofits like the Alzheimer’s Association.

Ruth Reko, Ph.D.

1020 N. Harlem, River Forest, IL