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ALBANY – With the goal of helping health officials deal with the Alzheimer's crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alzheimer's Association have released the third edition of Healthy's Roadmap Brain Initiative.
The report "National and Local Public Health Partnerships for Dementia, The 2018-2023 Roadmap" aims to provide public health leaders with a set of strategies to ensure a better future for all dementia-affected communities. .
"The Healthy Brain Initiative provides vital information about Alzheimer's disease and other dementias," said Kim Blackstock, an Alzheimer's Association volunteer and rights advocate based in Tifton. "Not only does the roadmap provide the public with much-needed education, but it also creates a vital awareness for the Alzheimer's epidemic."
The continuum of Alzheimer's disease spans decades. Over time, health officials can reduce risk, expand early detection and diagnosis, improve the safety and quality of care for people with cognitive disabilities, and ensure the health and well-being of caregivers. .
"For significant progress to be made in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, an urgent public health response is needed," said Robert Egge, Public Policy Officer for Alzheimer's, in a statement. "The roadmap provides the public health community with concrete action to move quickly and strategically to stimulate the necessary changes in policies, systems and environments."
During the writing of the report, the experts developed 25 actions for public health leaders to adapt them to the specific needs of each community, drawing on traditional public health strategies, so that leaders can integrate Alzheimer's disease to existing public health initiatives.
The officials said that awareness is an important factor in winning the battle against Alzheimer's, or dementia in general. The illness often begins with memory loss and progresses to the inability to cook, clean and socialize – and family members often notice these signs first.
"I am delighted that this new roadmap includes educational tools for the general public and is very readable and easy to understand," said Blackstock. "Many people do not know anything about dementia or how to care for someone with dementia. And when a loved one or even themselves are diagnosed with a cognitive memory disorder, they do not know how to proceed. "
Early diagnosis is a key problem. As with any disease, being screened earlier means that it is better to have a longer quality of life and that wishes can be expressed before the later stages of the disease. In a country like South Georgia, where detection resources may be limited, this is not always easy.
"The roadmap provides state and local agencies with tools to help meet the needs of people in southern Georgia," Blackstock said. "The map places a strong emphasis on the importance of early diagnosis. At this time, we often see people not being diagnosed until they are in the middle stage of the disease. Early detection ensures that a person can benefit more from certain drugs and that they plan their future, including their legal and financial plans.
"The roadmap also includes resources for caregivers and the need for affordable respite care, which is currently lacking in South Georgia."
Data from Georgia's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in 2015 indicate that one of seven people aged 45 and over in the state experienced a subjective cognitive decline in the previous 12 months and less than half said they discussed these changes with a health professional. provider.
"Alzheimer's is not a red or blue issue, it's a mauve issue," said Kathy Simpson, director of public policy and advocacy for the Alzheimer's Association in Georgia, in a statement. . "It transcends economic status, political ideology, race and culture. We have a vision of a world without Alzheimer's and it takes a village to get there. The road map is essential for Georgia to take the necessary steps to develop the systems needed for health care planning, health care support and community services, as well as for health care. assistance that people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementia need as we continue to search for the cause. and the priest. "
The Office of Health Indicators of the Ministry of Public Health of Georgia reported that the 14 counties of the South West District of Public Health had registered 157 deaths in 2016 and 206 in 2017, due to Alzheimer's disease. The 2017 deaths included 23 in Colquitt, 12 in Decatur, 50 in Dougherty, 10 in Grady, 18 in Lee, 18 in Mitchell, 10 in Terrell, 32 in Thomas and 15 in Worth Counties.
The people of southwestern Georgia, like many others in the country, live longer and older people are more at risk for Alzheimer's disease. In rural areas, it is not unusual for people in this age group to live in low income conditions.
"We could always use more resources and are grateful for the resources we have," said Dr. Cliff Dunn, Phoebe Primary Care's primary physician in Northwest. "Its prevalence increases with age, we will have more and more.
"There are tricks in the works, but for now, we have no cure. The best thing to do is to diagnose early. It is best to find it early to be able to prepare (to make known his wishes). "
The DPH of this state is involved in the development of Georgia's state plan for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Following the development of the plan, the Social Services Department of Georgia assumed responsibility for the Cognitive Module of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey and the Caregiver Module during years.
Immediately after the adoption of the state plan, state agencies and the chapter created a video to provide information about Alzheimer's.
The Georgia Memory Net is up and running, and the Alzheimer's Association officials said it was time for Georgia to launch a state-wide public awareness campaign to ensure that what every Georgian is aware of the disease. He asked the General Assembly to fund this campaign and to DPH and the State Plan Advisory Board for Georgia for Alzheimer's and Related Dementias, under the direction of the Division of Services for Aging State , to work on the development and implementation of the campaign.
Dunn said it was important for family members to speak up when they noticed something, especially if they were in an area where resources were lacking and people were not there. not to the doctor as often as they should.
Like Blackstock, he said that education is the key to screening, even among specialists in the medical field who are not specialized in the treatment of dementia.
"If people do not know what they are looking for, they will not see it," Dunn said.
Phoebe is preparing to associate with Emory University and Georgia Memory Net. It will be a memory assessment clinic, with support and resources for patients and caregivers, including testing services and social workers. Resources are all accessible in one place and an action plan for the individual and the caregiver can be recommended based on the results of the assessment.
Tina Halverson, Phoebe Family Medicine Residency Specialist and Phoebe Primary Care Administrator in Northwest, said the first patients in the program would likely be accepted early next year.
"We are the fifth site chosen to establish this memory assessment clinic," she said.
The Alzheimer's Association is asking the Advisory Council to update the state plan to include the adoption and implementation of the latest edition of the roadmap.
"Currently, there is no real treatment or cure for Alzheimer's and other dementias," said Blackstock. "Every 66 seconds, a person develops Alzheimer's disease in the United States. Nearly 6 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease in the United States today; By the year 2050, this number is expected to reach 14 million people. Alzheimer's disease is the most expensive disease in the United States, costing over a quarter of a trillion dollars a year. Essentially, this roadmap can help accelerate risk reduction, advance early detection and diagnosis, and ensure the safety and quality of care provided to people with the disease.
"I encourage everyone to take a look at the roadmap. You can find the roadmap of the Initiative for a Healthy Brain at www.cdc.gov. If you or your loved one has some form of dementia, I urge you to seek help from the Alzheimer's Association. You do not have to go through this alone. Call 1-800-272-3900 for more information or visit www.alz.org. "
The report is also available on the Alzheimer's Association website.
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