Missouri working to implement Alzheimer’s task force recommendations
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
More than 120,000 Missouri residents are living with Alzheimer's, and that number is expected to grow by more than 8% in the next two years, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Missouri's elected officials are recognizing this epidemic, and one of the ways they've taken action is with the state's Alzheimer's State Plan Task Force. The task force released several recommendations that the state is currently working to apply with the goal of reducing Alzheimer's deaths, increasing early diagnosis and making long-term caregiving for a person with Alzheimer's easier.
The Missouri Alzheimer's State Plan Task Force was created in 2022 with the help of state Rep. Don Mayhew (R-Crocker). A lawmaker before Mayhew tried for several years to pass a bill to create the task force, but Mayhew was finally able to get it across the finish line.
Mayhew was inspired to help with Alzheimer's research after losing his father and father-in-law to the disease.
"I am one of the unfortunate Missourians who have had relatives who have suffered with the disease," Mayhew said. "From that experience, and also knowing many people who were suffering with dementia related diseases, including Alzheimer's, I felt like if we needed to do something."
The task force help several public forums to come to the conclusions outlined in its 2022 Missouri Alzheimer’s State Plan Task Force Report and Recommendations.
The task force identified these main objectives:
- Advance risk reduction, early detection and timely diagnosis
- Increase access to care, support and treatment
- Improve quality of care
- Ensure a coordinated statewide response
Some of the task force's recommendations include having the state fund an Alzheimer's awareness campaign, and designating Alzheimer's as a public-health issue.
"The worst part about this disease is that unlike other diseases, this disease takes away who you are. all your memories and and your relationships and which makes it the most insidious of the diseases that we're facing right now," Mayhew said.
It's not just at the state level that Missouri lawmakers push for Alzheimer's research, former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) pushed for funding during his tenure in Washington, D.C.
"No account grew faster than the Alzheimer's account," Blunt said. "We grew from about 600 million a year in research to over 3 billion a year over the course of about seven years."
For more resources on Alzheimer's, check out ABC 17's Meghan Drakas's past coverage here.
Join ABC 17 News at the Jefferson City Walk to End Alzheimer's on Sunday at Memorial Park in Jefferson City. Last year, the Jefferson City Walk broke its all-time record and raised nearly $134,000. This year, the walk has a goal of raising $140,000.
