DEAR EDITOR:

As a longtime dementia caregiver, I understand fully the impact that Alzheimer’s disease can have on a family.

As the size of the U.S. population aged 65 and older continues to grow, so too will the number and proportion of Americans with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. It was estimated that 6.7 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s in 2023. By 2050, that number may grow to 12.7 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs that can delay, prevent or cure Alzheimer’s disease. Thousands of these are families and friends in Ohio.

What can be done about this public health crisis?

I am urging Congress, including Rep. David Joyce, Rep. Max Miller and Rep. Troy Balderson, and their fellow congress members from Ohio, to continue supporting increases in Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding, as well as to support the reauthorization of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act this year. I encourage you to do the same. We should also thank Sen. J.D. Vance and Rep. Greg Landsman for already co-sponsoring these very important bills.

It is more important than ever that we work toward increased funding for research that will impact the lives of those living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Recent advancements in FDA-approved treatments that are delaying the progression of the disease, give us more hope than ever that research and science are bringing us closer to a cure.

Thankfully, Congress can continue to play an important role in addressing this public health crisis. You, too, can play an important role by contacting your local legislators and asking for their support to realize a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.

MARILYN KING

Sebring