Dear editor,
At a cost of $236 billion a year, Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in the nation.
Nearly one in every five Medicare dollars is spent on caring for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. These costs will only continue to increase as baby boomers age, soaring to more than $1 trillion in 2050.
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates there are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, including over 500,000 here in Florida. At 56 years old, I am part of that statistic; however, there are thousands more living with Alzheimer’s who have not yet been diagnosed.
By year’s end, I will have traveled approximately 10,000 miles. I’ve used this time to spread Alzheimer’s awareness and to educate medical professionals, scholars, business professionals, caregivers as well as others like me, who are living with Alzheimer’s.
It’s not what I envisioned my retirement to be; however, I refuse to allow Alzheimer’s disease to define who I am and how I live my life, and I will continue my advocacy for as long as I am able.
Thank you to Sheilah Bowman, district director with U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, for recently meeting with our delegation to discuss the Alzheimer's crisis. We rely on such great support to assist us with meeting our mission to end Alzheimer’s once and for all.
Please join with us in urging all candidates for public office to take bold action in confronting this epidemic now. It is only through adequate funding and a strong implementation of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease that we will meet its goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer’s by 2025.
Brian LeBlanc
International Alzheimer’s Advocate
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Help fight Alzheimer's disease