Elder Care Resources        

03/24/04

Malia Rulon
Associated Press
 

Washington - Dennis Kroucik told a Senate subcommittee Tuesday that he thought his life was over when he was diagnosed at age 56 with Alzheimer's disease.

"I lost my job and had to give up my car keys. I felt humiliated and useless and I didn't want to get up in the morning," the Elyria man said. "I was angry, depressed and scared that I would lose my independence."

Doctors now know that certain vitamin supplements can help slow the onset of symptoms in Alzheimer's, which affects about 4.5 million Americans.

Researchers are close to confirming new discoveries but need more federal funding, Sheldon Goldberg, president and chief executive of the Alzheimer's Association, told members of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services.

On Tuesday, the Chicago-based association announced the creation of a Coalition of Hope, made up of 150 different groups, to lobby for an additional $40 million for Alzheimer's research.

The National Institutes of Health is spending about $661 million this year to research the disease, a 3.7 percent increase from $640 million in 2003.

Still, the federal government can fund only about 15 percent of Alzheimer's studies that apply for federal aid - down from 25 percent in recent years, said Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging, part of NIH.

"For the first time ever, there's hope to significantly delay the onset of the disease and lessen its impact," Goldberg said. "But left unchecked, Alzheimer's will . . . overwhelm our health care system."

Medicare costs for patients with Alzheimer's are expected to jump nearly 55 percent in the next few years, from $31.9 billion in 2000 to $49.3 billion in 2010, according to the association.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive illness that destroys cells in the brain. Common symptoms include losing memory, comprehension, language skills and the ability to do routine tasks.

Kroucik, diagnosed two years ago, told lawmakers that he understands funding won't be easy during the current budget climate, but said it is "something we have to do."

Also testifying at the hearing was actress Shelley Fabares, who lost her mother to Alzheimer's, and former Iowa State basketball coach Johnny Orr, whose wife, Romie, has Alzheimer's. "We're going to whip this thing," Orr said.

Sen. Mike DeWine, Republican of Ohio, a subcommittee member who led the hearing, said lawmakers would consider the request. The panel is charged with determining federal funding levels for all programs and dozens of research requests involving health care, education and labor.

© 2004 The Plain Dealer.