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| By derivative work: Garrondo (talk)SEVERESLICE_HIGH.JPG: ADEAR: "Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center, a service of the National Institute on Aging."PRECLINICALSLICE_HIGH.JPG: ADEAR: "Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center, a service of the National Institute on Aging." - SEVERESLICE_HIGH.JPGPRECLINICALSLICE_HIGH.JPG, P ublic Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4471173 |
Jennifer Fendley Salter is a territory manager for Apria Healthcare in Pensacola, FL. Living in Milton, FL, Jennifer Fendley (F.) Salter’s career in the medical sales industry is reflected in her professional interests, such as finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
This effort took a major step forward in 2019 with the passage of the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act by a bipartisan majority. The law authorizes expenditure of $20 million each year, ending in fiscal year 2024.
Alzheimer’s now afflicts some five million older Americans, a number that is expected to jump 300 percent by 2050. Treatment costs some $277 billion annually, with $186 billion billed to Medicare and Medicaid. The cost could be $1.1 trillion by 2050.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will use the money to improve brain health through a three-pronged initiative:
1) “Centers of excellence” will be set up nationwide to educate the public and boost awareness of connective functioning. Caregivers will also be taught the best ways to deal with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
2) State health departments will also benefit, with the CDC sharing information about slowing down cognitive decline and enhancing care.
3) Finally, data sharing will also be improved, using research to develop early diagnostic methods and reporting disparities in care to the CDC.
