Alzheimer's Awareness & Support for Caregivers

The personal toll of Alzheimer’s is felt not only by those with the disease, but also the loved ones serving as caregivers. During National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month, I want to recognize the value of caregivers in the fight against this devastating disease. Currently in Illinois, there are 590,000 individuals caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. I have several family members who have been caregivers to a loved one with Alzheimer’s, including my maternal grandmother who cared for my grandfather with early-onset Alzheimer’s, my dad who cared for his mom (my paternal grandmother) during her struggle with the disease, and my mom who cared for my dad as he fought Alzheimer’s until his passing in 2019.

Increased research funding would support improvements in care and treatment options for the more than 6 million Americans living with the disease, and the more than 11 million family or friends who are providing unpaid care for them. This year, we are asking for $226 million in Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is investing more than $3.5 billion annually in Alzheimer's and dementia research, a more than eight-fold increase over the past 10 years. I know my family greatly benefitted from the knowledge, resources and support from the Alzheimer’s Association as we cared for my dad, and with Representative Sean Casten’s support of this funding request, I know that other families will, too.

While I continue to fight for a future without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia, I know this can’t be achieved without our Members of Congress. I am grateful to have Representative Casten as a champion of this cause and look forward to his continued support of dementia caregivers. If you are a caregiver needing more information or resources, or to learn about the strides we’ve made in this fight to find the first survivor of Alzheimer’s, please visit alz.org.

Nancy Reed

Palatine, Illinois