Letter to the Editor: Thank you for advocating for Alzheimer's research

Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, including more than 200,000 in Michigan.As an Alzheimer’s Association advocate, it is my honor to raise my voice on their behalf. I just attended the 2024 AIM Advocacy Forumwith my fellow Alzheimer’s Association advocates from across the country.

We met with staff from Congressman Tim Walberg’s office on Capitol Hill to call for support of the NAPA Reauthorization Act and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act. NAPA, originally signed into law in 2011, required the Department of Health and Human Services to create an annually updated national strategic plan to address the Alzheimer’s crisis. It’s set to expire in 2025, but the reauthorization act would continue this important work through 2035. The Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act would ensure that Congress continues to hear how much funding is needed to eventually effectively prevent and cure the disease.

What I find so exciting about volunteering with the Alzheimer's Association is that not only am I able to connect people to the resources and support they need, but I'm also able to advocate on their behalf to reduce barriers to access and create more programming and support. I feel like my work with the Alzheimer's Association makes a difference at a community level, but that I'm also part of a larger movement to make a difference within Michigan and the United States too, and it's so rewarding to know that our collective work is making strides to #endalz.

Thank you to Congressman Walberg for listening to those of us impacted by Alzheimer’s. To learn more about this disease and how you can join the fight to end Alzheimer’s, visit alzimpact.org.

Kara Dominque

Southfield

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letter to the Editor: Thank you for advocating for Alzheimer's research