Letter to the Editor: Alzheimer's legislation

Dear Editor:

I am thrilled that the President recently signed the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act into law, which will create a nationwide Alzheimer’s public health infrastructure to implement effective Alzheimer’s interventions.

I am greatly pleased that Senators Feinstein and Harris and Congresswoman Roybal-Allard have proven records as supporting issues related to the Alzheimer’s crisis and each supported BOLD.

The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act will create the change necessary for those living with the disease and their caregivers to live a higher quality of life while reducing the costs associated with Alzheimer’s. BOLD would enable us to increase early detection and diagnosis, reduce risk, prevent avoidable hospitalizations, reduce health disparities, support the needs of caregivers and support care planning for those living with this disease.

This legislation is particularly important to our Downey community: in California, Alzheimer’s is the third leading cause of death-- as opposed to the rest of the country in which Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death. Our city is home to a beautifully diverse population, and we need to ensure data is collected so we can create programs to serve everyone.

Latinos/Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and African Americans are twice as likely. Women are two-thirds of those diagnosed— and women are two-thirds of all caregivers as well. No one is immune to Alzheimer’s, a disease which cannot be prevented or cured.

Last week week our leaders in Washington, D.C., took on one of this nation’s greatest health challenges, Alzheimer’s disease, and passed legislation into law that will greatly affect those facing this devastating disease. Thank you.

Bruce McDaniel
Downey