Senator Collins Tours Sam L. Cohen Adult Day Center in Biddeford

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, visited the Southern Maine Agency on Aging’s Sam L. Cohen Adult Day Center in Biddeford today. 

“I appreciated the opportunity to visit the Sam L. Cohen Adult Day Center.  This impressive, state-of-the-art facility offers a welcoming atmosphere for members and provides well-deserved respite for caregivers,” said Senator Collins.  “I commend the outstanding staff at the Southern Maine Agency on Aging for their commitment to those suffering memory loss and their families.”

During her visit, Senator Collins toured the facility and met with Cohen Center members to discuss the $1.391 billion—a $400 million increase—she helped secure for Alzheimer’s research in the fiscal year 2017 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill, which passed the Appropriations Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support.  If enacted, this funding would build on last year’s historic $350 million increase for Alzheimer’s research and represents tremendous progress towards the goal of providing $2 billion per year for Alzheimer’s research, the amount experts say is needed to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s by the year 2025.

Senator Collins also spoke about bipartisan legislation she introduced last year, the RAISE Family Caregivers Act, which would establish a National Family Caregiving Project to develop and sustain a national strategy to support caregivers.  Her legislation passed the Senate unanimously in December and currently awaits consideration by the House of Representatives.

“As the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Alzheimer’s Task Force, working to increase federal funding to fight Alzheimer’s and supporting family caregivers are among my top legislative priorities,” Senator Collins continued.  “I will continue to work towards a future where Alzheimer’s can be treated, cured, or, best of all, prevented.  Until that day, facilities like the Cohen Center lend a crucial helping hand to patients and families.”