Name: Francesca Anne Simone
Title: Miss Rhode Island 2008
Alzheimer's Disease Awareness
Every 72 seconds, someone in
America develops Alzheimer's
Disease. By mid-century, someone
will develop Alzheimer's every
33 seconds.
- National
Alzheimer's Association
Alzheimer's Disease is currently
the fourth leading cause of
death among adults and the third
most costly disease, after heart
disease and cancer. In 2007,
approximately 5.1 million
Americans were afflicted with
Alzheimer's Disease. This
alarming figure includes at
least 200,000 under the age of
65 with early onset. This
progressive brain disorder has
no single cause but within the
last fifteen years, scientists
have learned a great deal about
factors that may play a
significant role in the
development of the disease. Alzheimer's disease is the most
common form of dementia and
causes irreversible cognitive
decline as a result of various
biological mechanisms that cause
catastrophic damage to brain
cells. Alzheimer's disease
affects memory, the ability to
generate coherent speech or
understand spoken or written
language. It also affects the
capacity to make sound judgments
and carry out complex tasks. The
disease becomes so severe that
eventually the individual
becomes incapable of carrying
out simple daily routines. Alzheimer's disease is fatal and
individuals with Alzheimer's
usually die an average of eight
years after first experiencing
symptoms, but the duration of
the disease can vary from three
to twenty years. In the final
stage of the disease, the
individual becomes incapable of
communicating, recognizing loved
ones and virtually bedridden.
New treatments are on the
horizon and research has shown
that effective care and support
can improve the quality of life
for individuals and their
caregivers over the course of
the disease. It is estimated
that the costs to care for the
5.1 million afflicted Americans
is approximately $148 billion
annually and will skyrocket to
$189 billion by 2015. In
addition to medical
expenditures, costs for state
and federal Medicaid spending
for nursing home care was $21
billion in 2005 and is projected
to increase to $27 billion by
2015. Costs to employers of
caregivers currently total $36.5
billion, resulting from lost
productivity, missed work, and
costs to replace workers who
must leave their jobs to meet
the demands of care giving. There are more than 10 million
Americans caring for someone
with Alzheimer's. Another
alarming statistic is the out of
pocket expenses incurred by
these individuals. The figures
show that as the disease
progresses, these expenses
multiply more rapidly than those
for people afflicted with heart
conditions, strokes, diabetes
and cancer. Funding for care is
high in assisted living, nursing
homes or private home settings. Home health aide costs average
$152 per day. Assisted living
residence can cost $40,000 per
year and a private room in a
nursing home facility cost
approximately $75,000 in 2006. It is obvious that an enormous
financial burden exists for
caregivers and the health care
system in this country. In order
to curb this health crisis, we
must act boldly and quickly. We
must advocate for intense and
aggressive research to find a
cure.
My personal involvement began in
2003 when my grandmother died of
Alzheimer's disease. After
experiencing the disease in my
own family, I wanted to help
others. I began volunteering at
local hospice centers. I
organized sporting events for
friends and family to heighten
awareness and raise funds for
the Alzheimer's Association. I
founded a support group, F.A.C.T.
through which I raise money to
continue educating people about
the disease. I authored a
cookbook, which was sold
throughout Rhode Island and have
spoken with high school and
college aged students about care
giving in the future. I will
continue my efforts to educate
the public, especially our
youth, as they will be the care
givers of tomorrow. I will
continue to volunteer at local
hospice centers and to raise
money for a cure.
As Miss Rhode Island, I will
travel the state, raising
awareness in our schools,
government and communities. I
will utilize the Miss Rhode
Island website to encourage
young women to become active in
the race for a cure for
Alzheimer's Disease and to
publicize events for the cause. I will continue to speak to the
youth at area schools and
coordinate field trips to local
hospice centers where the
students will spend time with
patients of Alzheimer's disease. In addition I will work
tirelessly for the Miss Rhode
Island Organization and the
Children's Miracle Network. I
will partner with agencies like
the R.I. Alzheimer's
Association. I will establish
communication with the National
Institute on Aging and the
Alzheimer's disease centers
which are funded by NIA. As Miss
Rhode Island, I will also work
closely with Hasbro Children's
Hospital, a member hospital of
the Children's Miracle Network,
speaking to prospective donors
and benefactors and providing
comfort to families and music to
the children. Each day I hope to
inspire others to embrace
efforts toward finding a cure
for Alzheimer's disease and for
providing comfort to children
and their families. In this way,
I will strive to lead the way to
improving the quality of life
for future generations. |