A call to join the fight against Alzheimer’s

To the Editor:

Providing care for my mother-in-love, Charlie Mae Cross, involves many challenging elements. As caregivers, my wife and I have to navigate through this health care maze.

My mother-in-love, as I affectionately call her, was diagnosed with dementia in 2016 and came to live with my wife and me full-time in 2020. We have watched her go from being a fun-loving, outgoing person, to someone that is still full of life, but sometimes trapped in her own mind.

It is estimated that nearly 13 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s by 2050, so it is critical we find better ways to care for them. By enhancing the coordination of dementia care, we can lessen the burden for individuals and their caregivers while reducing health care costs. In 2020, caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias provided an estimated 15.3 billion hours of care valued at nearly $257 billion.

Please join me and the Alzheimer’s Association in asking Congressman Sanford Bishop to sign on to the Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act. To learn more about the disease and how you can join the fight to end Alzheimer’s, visit alzimpact.org.

— Ronald Bell

Albany