Alzheimer's Association, Centers for Disease Control report outlines future in Alzheimer's battle

Nov. 04--ALBANY -- In an effort to help health officials address the nation's Alzheimer's crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alzheimer's Association have released the third edition of the Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map.

The "State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia, The 2018-2023 Road Map" report is meant to provide public health officials with a set of strategies to realize a better future for all communities impacted by dementia.

"The Healthy Brain Initiative provides vital information about Alzheimer's disease as well as other dementias," Kim Blackstock, an Alzheimer's Association volunteer and advocate based out of Tifton, said. "Not only does the road map provide much-needed education to the public, it also creates much-needed awareness for the Alzheimer's epidemic."

The Alzheimer's disease continuum spans decades. Over that time, health officials can reduce risk, expand early detection and diagnosis, improve safety and quality of care for people living with cognitive impairment, and attend to caregivers' health and well-being.

"Achieving meaningful progress against Alzheimer's requires an urgent public health response," Robert Egge, the Alzheimer's Association's chief public policy officer, said of the report in a statement. "The Road Map provides the public health community with concrete steps to act quickly and strategically to stimulate needed changes in policies, systems and environments."

While drafting the report, experts developed 25 actions for public health leaders meant to be adaptable for each community's specific needs grounded in traditional public health strategies so leaders can incorporate Alzheimer's into existing public health initiatives.

Officials said a big component in ultimately winning the battle against Alzheimer's, or dementia in general, is awareness. The condition often starts with memory loss and progresses to the inability to cook, clean and socialize -- and family members often notice those signs first.

"I am excited that this new road map includes educational tools for the general public and is very reader-friendly and easy to understand," Blackstock said. "A lot of folks don't know anything about dementia or how to care for someone who suffers from dementia, and then when a loved one or even themselves get a diagnosis of cognitive memory impairment, they are at a loss for how to proceed."

Early diagnosis is a key issue. As with any condition, being caught earlier means chances are better of have a strong quality of life longer -- and wishes can be made known before the later stages of the disease. In a place like south Georgia in which resources for detection may be limited, that is not always easy.

"The road map provides state and local agencies with tools to help address the needs of the people in south Georgia," Blackstock said. "The map concentrates heavily on the importance of early diagnosis. At this time, we often see people not being diagnosed until they are in middle stages of the disease. Early detection ensures that a person can benefit more from certain medications as well as make plans for their future, especially legal and financial plans.

"The road map also includes resources for caregivers and the need for affordable respite care, which is something that south Georgia lacks right now."

Data from the Georgia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in 2015 indicate that one of seven people ages 45 and over in the state experienced subjective cognitive decline in the previous 12 months, and less than half of those said they had discussed these changes with a health care provider.

"Alzheimer's is not a red or blue issue -- it is a purple issue," Kathy Simpson, public policy and advocacy director for the Alzheimer's Association'sGeorgia chapter, said in a statement. "It cuts across economic status, political ideology, race, culture -- we have a vision of a world without Alzheimer's, and it takes a village to make that happen. The Road Map is a key to ensuring that Georgia takes the necessary steps to develop the systems to address care planning, health care support, and community services and supports that those living with Alzheimer's and other dementias need while we continue to work to find the cause and the cure."

The Georgia Department of Public Health Office of Health Indicators for Planning said the Southwest Public Health District's 14 counties saw 157 deaths in 2016 and 206 in 2017 due to Alzheimer's. 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 citizens in southwest Georgia, like many others in the country, are living longer -- and the elderly are at higher risk for Alzheimer's. In a rural areas, it is not uncommon for those in that age range to be living in low-income circumstances.

"We could always use more resources and are grateful for the resources we do have," Dr. Cliff Dunn, a primary care physician based at Phoebe Primary Care at Northwest, said. "As its prevalence increases with age, we are going to have more and more of that.

"There is stuff in the works, but as of yet we don't have a cure. The best thing to do is diagnose early. It is best to find it early, so you can prepare (to make your wishes known)."

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