(RxWiki News) A government supported plan will support people with Alzheimer’s Disease and their caregivers and work towards keeping new people from developing the disease. The goal – better treatment and care by 2025.
President Obama signed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act into law last year.
The HHS plan, announced today, will set into motion initiatives aimed at improving treatment, discovering prevention methods, and supporting people affected by Alzheimer’s Disease.
"Visit www.alzheimers.gov to find support services."
An estimated 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s Disease. Recent reports expect that number to increase rapidly in the next 20 years as our population ages.
These numbers do not include all the people affected by the disease, like caregivers and family members that often bear the burden of the disease.
The HHS plan covers four broad areas aimed at patients, caregivers, doctors, and researchers.
- To improve treatment, $2 million dollars has been allotted to educate and train health care workers to better detect and treat Alzheimer’s Disease.
- To enhance support for caregivers and family, HHS launched www.alzheimers.gov which provides information about Alzheimer’s Disease and access to local and regional resources to help those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease.
- To increase awareness about Alzheimer’s Disease and its effects on families, HHS is launching a media campaign with TV ads.
- New research projects will be funded through the National Institutes of Health. Obama increased funding to combat Alzheimer’s Disease by $100 million of which $80 million dollars will go to research efforts. Research money will be given to projects that use new technologies, search for ways to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, and test new treatments for the disease.
