Alzheimer's Advocacy Forum 2011

I have been given a great opportunity and honor from my local Alzheimer's Association and my counsellors Suzette and Kathy, and I wanted to tell y'all about it.

It is a chance to be granted a scholarship to attend the Public Policy Forum/Advocacy Action Summit which will be May 15-17 2011 in Washington, DC.

It will be a time to become educated about the issues, learn new skills, network with fellow advocates and take our message directly to members of Congress to fight for our legislative agenda and I am honored to have been chosen to have my name submitted for this event.

If I am chosen to receive the scholarship, I plan not only to participate in all of the above events, but to serve as a "reporter" and write about what I see and experience there. This will also allow me to put to use my journalistic skills which have been "moth-balled" of late.

Quoting from Karen Kauffman's* article, 2010 was a year of optimism for those of us in Alzheimer's Advocacy:

- The historic passage and signing of the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA).

- The inclusion of younger-onset Alzheimer's disease in the Social Security Administration's compassionate allowance program.

- The first-ever inclusion of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in the government's Healthy People 2020 report.

- Detection of cognitive impairment included as a mandatory part of the new Medicare annual wellness visits.

- More than 112,000 petition signatures collected through the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Ride urging Congress to make Alzheimer's disease a national priority.

But as Karen says, ".....we still have much work ahead to ensure we build on this momentum to lead our country toward overcoming the Alzheimer crisis."

*Karen is the chairperson of the Alzheimer's Advocacy Forum

So, I am honored to be so well thought of and I am looking forward to being given the chance to make a difference. Guess good things still do happen now and then.



Thanks

Bill

The Animal Rescue Site

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