“The Way Forward: An Update From The Alzheimer’s Study Group”

It would seem that a woman like Maria Shriver has it all. She is the First Lady of California, a former network television news anchor, and a member of one of America's most prominent families. But diseases, such as Alzheimer's, do not discriminate. Recently, Maria testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging. She told us a very personal story about her own family's experience with this terrible disease.

Maria's father, Sargent Shriver, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease six years ago. Sargent Shriver, who is married to Eunice Kennedy, was a special assistant to former President Lyndon Johnson and was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in 1972. Today, according to his daughter, he no longer recognizes members of his own family. He "was an idealistic, intelligent, optimistic public servant. His mind was a beautifully tuned instrument that left people in awe. That was then and today, he doesn't even know my name," Maria told us.

Her story is heartbreaking. But she is not alone. An estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, including nearly 30,000 people in Maine. Sadly, the numbers continue to increase.

Alzheimer's is a devastating disease that takes a tremendous personal and economic toll on both the individual and family. In addition to the suffering it causes, Alzheimer's costs the United States just under $150 billion a year, primarily in nursing home and other long-term care costs. This figure will increase exponentially as the baby boom generation ages. As the baby boomers move into the years of highest risk for Alzheimer's disease, a strong and sustained research effort is our best tool to slow the progression and ultimately prevent the onset of this heartbreaking disease.

Our nation's investments in Alzheimer's research have begun to pay dividends and effective treatments are tantalizingly within our grasp. Unfortunately, however, while the number of Alzheimer's cases has continued to climb, funding has been flat over the past five years and research has stalled.

For every dollar the federal government spends today on the costs of Alzheimer's care, it invests less than a penny in research to find a cure. This simply doesn't make sense. It is time for us to put our foot back on the accelerator and redouble our research efforts.

In addition to increasing funding for research, we must also do more to support Alzheimer's patients and their families. I have sponsored legislation to provide a tax credit of up to $3,000 to help families meet the costs of caring for a loved one with a long-term, chronic disease like Alzheimer's. We should also encourage more Americans to plan for their future long-term needs by providing an increased tax deduction to help them purchase long-term care insurance.

As we explore ways to reform our ailing health care system, our long-term care system deserves equal treatment and should be part of that debate. There will be no real solutions to the problems plaguing our health care system without a complementary fix for long-term care. Neither system should be addressed in isolation.

As the Senate Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's disease, I worked to establish the Alzheimer's Study Group. Chaired by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Senator Bob Kerrey, the group spent the past two years developing a strategic plan to move our nation forward in its battle against Alzheimer's disease. It brought together an incredibly talented and diverse group of thinkers such as Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, whose husband suffers with this disease. The group worked to help us find a new way forward in our battle against Alzheimer's and it presented its report, the National Alzheimer's Strategic Plan, at our recent hearing. The report is broken down into four primary categories: support for research; translating research breakthroughs into treatment; ensuring quality care; and supporting families. Specific proposals include supplying incentives to scientists who perform long-term research, encouraging the use of biomarkers in clinical trials, creating care coordination among facility or in-home caregivers, and redesigning community homes to increase quality of life for patients.

With our continued commitment and the insight the Alzheimer's Study Group has provided, we will continue to work to prevent, delay, and eventually cure this devastating and debilitating disease.