Legislators have work ahead in treating Alzheimer's
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Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker
Almost a year after the Legislature and governor put in law new efforts to research, understand and treat Alzheimer's disease, advocates and lawmakers gathered at the State House on Tuesday to mark their progress and turn towards new priorities.
A bill signed by Gov. Charlie Baker last August required the creation of an "integrated state plan to address and assist in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease," established an advisory council on research and treatment, and called for doctors to report an initial Alzheimer's diagnosis to a patient's family. The advisory council met Tuesday afternoon.
"Alzheimer's affects more than half a million people in Massachusetts. It is complicated to treat and the cost of care is high," House Speaker Robert DeLeo said. He added, "With our aging population, we need to be prepared for the growing impact that Alzheimer's will have on our lives. The number of people here today in support of this work gives me tremendous hope."
According to the Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 130,000 people in Massachusetts are living with Alzheimer's, including 70,000 who are under the age of 75. In addition, another 340,000 people in Massachusetts act as caregivers to people with Alzheimer's. By 2025, the number of people with Alzheimer's dementia is projected to climb more than 15 percent to 150,000 in Massachusetts.
Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and is becoming a more common cause of death as the country's population ages, the association said.
The Massachusetts and New Hampshire chapter of the Alzheimer's Association said its priorities for the new legislative session are the following bills: to require Massachusetts senior care options plans to provide care planning services to patients with Alzheimer's; to ensure certain MassHealth services are made available to early onset Alzheimer's patients regardless of age; to create a family caregiver tax credit worth up to $1,500; and $150,000 in the fiscal 2020 budget for an Alzheimer's awareness campaign, which the House has already approved.
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