Senate Resolution No. 257

BY: Senator RIVERA

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
November 2019, as Alzheimer's Disease Awareness
Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with
the observance of National Family Caregiver Month

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize
official months dedicated to raising awareness of serious diseases
impacting the lives of citizens of New York State; and

WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease, the sixth leading cause of death in
the United States, is a type of dementia that results in issues with
memory, thinking, behavior, and other cognitive function; and

WHEREAS, While the symptoms of Alzheimer's develop slowly, they
worsen over time and their severity comes to hinder an individual's
ability to carry out daily tasks; and

WHEREAS, It is important to note that Alzheimer's is not solely a
disease of old age, as approximately 200,000 Americans under the age of
65 have younger-onset Alzheimer's disease; and

WHEREAS, At present, roughly 5.5 million Americans are living with
Alzheimer's disease, and the Alzheimer's Association predicts that this
number will rise to roughly 14 million by 2050; and

WHEREAS, In 2015, 3,174 New Yorkers died from Alzheimer's disease;
and

WHEREAS, It is estimated that 400,000 New Yorkers are currently
living with Alzheimer's disease; the New York State Coalition of the
Alzheimer's Association projects that by 2025, this number will increase
to 460,000 New Yorkers aged 65 and older (a 15% increase); and

WHEREAS, The New York State Coalition of the Alzheimer's Association
estimates that there are 1 million Alzheimer's and dementia unpaid
caregivers in New York State, and that in 2017, they provided 1.2
billion hours of care valued at $14.8 billion; in 2017, unpaid dementia
caregivers themselves had $881 million in higher health care costs than
non-caregivers; and

WHEREAS, It is estimated that in 2018, Alzheimer's cost Medicaid
more than $4.8 billion in New York State, and that Alzheimer's and other
dementias will cost the United States $277 billion; by 2050, these costs
could rise as high as $1.1 trillion in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial to improving both
health outcomes and cost savings, as early diagnosis not only helps
individuals avoid or correct contributing medical problems, initiate
available therapy, organize current and future care, and enhance
self-determination, but also, could result in savings of up to $7.9
trillion in medical and care costs in the nation; and

WHEREAS, In 2003, National Memory Screening Day was established by
the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) as a collaborative effort
with local organizations and health care professionals across the
country to promote awareness, early detection, and early diagnosis of
memory impairment, so that individuals can obtain proper medical
treatment, social services and other resources related to their
condition; and

WHEREAS, Since the demand and need for screenings exists year-round,
AFA expanded the program by creating the Community Memory Screening and
Awareness-Raising Education (C.A.R.E.S.) program to encourage local
sites nationwide to host a memory screening event multiple times
throughout the year; and

WHEREAS, Memory screenings are a safe and cost-effective
intervention to direct at-risk individuals to appropriate clinical
resources, thus reducing the costs of long-term care or hospitalization
resulting from undiagnosed complications; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim November 2019, as
Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York, in
conjunction with the observance of National Caregiver Month, and to
encourage all New Yorkers to make an effort to learn more about
Alzheimer's disease and the ways in which they can delay or manage its
occurrence; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York; the New York City Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association; and
the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.