CMR aids Alzheimer’s effort

I come from a family with a long history of Alzheimer’s disease and see so many other families struggling with it as well. Today one in three seniors in Washington state and across the country dies of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Nearly one in five Medicare dollars is spent on patients with these diseases. By 2050, that will rise to one in three Medicare dollars, unless we find a cure to treat and prevent Alzheimer’s.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is playing an important role in finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and helping people with the disease. She recently voted for the federal omnibus budget bill that increased funding for Alzheimer’s research to nearly $1 billion. Doing so made good fiscal sense. She also recently co-sponsored the HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act, which will provide critical care and support for patients and families.

Fortunately, as we watch Congress struggle to accomplish much at all, in the area of Alzheimer’s, progress is being made. I wish to thank Rep. McMorris Rodgers for her important leadership on this.

Mari Margil

Spokane