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For more than 20 years,
the Alzheimer's Association has provided reliable information, created
supportive programs and services for families, increased resources
for dementia research, and influenced changes in public policy.
Leading
the fight against Alzheimer's disease
The Association has awarded
nearly $160 million to researchers seeking new methods of prevention,
better treatments, and eventually a cure for Alzheimer's.
The Association is an influential, nationwide network that includes
the national office in Chicago, the public policy office in Washington,
D.C., 81 chapters, and approximately 300 local points of service.
For the second year in a row, Worth magazine has named the Alzheimer's
Association one of America's "100 Best Charities."
Our annual Memory Walk, held in about 500 communities nationwide,
has raised more than $139 million for programs and services.
Supporting
the research community
The Association's research
program is a catalyst for generating new knowledge about Alzheimer's
disease and other disorders that cause dementia.
Our strategy is to attract talented scientists to the field, direct
resources to promising ideas, and foster a collegial research environment
that enables people to exchange ideas.
Our research grants support investigations that can unravel mysteries
of the disease and improve the quality of life for all people affected
by dementia. The Association's International Conference on Alzheimer's
Disease and Related Disorders brings together the greatest minds in
dementia research from around the world.
Providing
support, information, and referral
The Alzheimer's Association
provides a broad range of programs and services for people with the
disease, families, care partners, residential care professionals,
and professional health care providers. Highlights of our programs
include the following:
- the Contact Center,
a toll-free service, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
to families, health care professionals, and the general public
across the country
- Safe Return, a nationwide
identification program to assist in the safe and timely return
of individuals who have wandered from home, as well as other safety
information services, such as home safety and driving
- more than 100,000
hours of education, service, and support programs, including over
2,500 hours of programs designed for individuals with dementia
- international, national,
and regional conferences
- the Alzheimer's
Association library and resource center, the largest library collection
dedicated exclusively to Alzheimer's disease, which provides reference
and research services, reading lists, and video guides on Alzheimer-related
topics
Providing
answers
The Alzheimer's Association
staff and volunteers can provide information about a number of dementia-related
issues:
- the science of Alzheimer's
disease and related disorders
- medications and
other treatment options
- skills to provide
quality care
- strategies to reduce
stress and manage lifestyle changes
- legal, financial,
and living-arrangement decisions
- clinical trials
of potential treatments
- Medicare and Medicaid
benefits
- professional and
community services
- safety services
Advocating
for change
The Alzheimer's Association
represents the interests of people with the disease and their families
before all levels of government and with health care and long-term
care providers. This advocacy effort includes the following goals:
- increasing annual
federal research funds to $1 billion for finding effective ways
to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease and related disorders
- improving Medicare
to meet the health care needs of people with Alzheimer's disease
by adding prescription drug coverage and chronic care benefits
designed to prevent health care crises and excess disability
- preserving and expanding
quality affordable long-term care, including caregiver support,
to meet the special needs of persons with dementia
Joining
our cause
The Alzheimer's Association
invites you to participate in our effort to change the lives of people
with dementia and create a world without Alzheimer's disease.
- Become an advocate.
Join people with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, care
partners, friends, and families whose voices are a powerful tool
for change and hope.
- Donate. Your
gift makes a difference in the lives of people with dementia and
supports research to improve treatment, care, and prevention strategies.
- Volunteer.
Join the more than 35,000 volunteers whose services are critical
to every program and initiative of the Association.
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