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Join the cause
The Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Cincinnati invites you to become an Alzheimer advocate. Join us and speak up for the needs and rights of people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
Act now
Write Congress and request more research funds.
Congress needs to know what’s important to you. Tell your elected officials to restore vital funding to Alzheimer research, care and prevention.
Advocacy Events
Nearly 200 Alzheimer advocates from across Ohio participated in the 11th Annual Memory Day in Columbus on April 7. In addition to office visits with their respective legislators to discuss personal concerns related to Alzheimer's disease, advocates took part in a luncheon program that featured guest speaker Barbara Riley, director of the Ohio Department of Aging. The highlight of the program was the presentation of the 2009 Sharen Eckert Leadership in Advocacy Award to Dr. Leopold Liss of Columbus, a long-time advocate and a founding member of the Alzheimer's Association in Ohio. Pictured above (from 2008 event): Alzheimer's Association of Greater Cincinnati Board President W. Clark Buck with Gov. Ted Strickland and Director Riley.
Save the Date:
The 2010 Ohio Memory Day will be on Tuesday, April 13 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. For more information on Memory Day or Alzheimer's-related public policy issues in Ohio, contact Steve Olding at (513) 721-4284 or email: steve.olding@alz.org.
2010 Kentucky Advocacy Day 'Calls' Legislators
More than 150 Alzheimer advocates from across the Bluegrass State spoke out in support of those affected by Alzheimer's disease at the 2010 Alzheimer's Advocacy Day in Frankfort on Feb. 2. The theme of this year's event was "Alzheimer's - Make the Call." In addition to advocates meeting with their legislators, a special program was held in the Statehouse Rotunda.
What is an advocate?
Alzheimer advocates play an important role in improving the quality of care and quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families by working to improve dementia care and services; improve access to community-based care; improve quality care in residential settings; and expand funding for research and public programs serving people with dementia.
As an advocate, you will:
- Receive regular updates about current legislative and public policy issues.
- Stay on top of policy and legislative issues through alerts and updates.
- Make calls or write to legislators to forward public policy priorities to improve the quality of life for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Local advocacy
Persistence + Message = Success in Advocacy Efforts
By Steve J. Olding
Communications Director
During one of our recent Memory Walks, a conversation with a small group of walkers who were curious about the latest budget news coming out of Columbus led to an impromptu discussion of politics and the progress of the Association’s advocacy efforts.
One woman expressed her displeasure with the political process in general, noting that it didn’t seem to matter which political party was in charge.
“It seems to me that our government makes easy things hard and difficult things impossible,” she said.
Her friend added, “I just wonder sometimes if they (legislators) are really listening to people like us. Unless you have big-money lobbyists or unions speaking for you, you’re going to be the odd man out.”
Acknowledging that the political process can be slow and heavily influenced by big-money interests, I encouraged the group not to lose hope in their efforts to support the Alzheimer’s Association and its public policy mission. Of course, it didn’t take much prodding on my part – they were well aware that many legislators, both at the state and federal levels, view Alzheimer’s disease as a major public policy health issue and support many of the Association’s goals. The walkers also understood the importance of the Association’s message and the need to be persistent in delivering that message to their elected officials.
As one walker said jokingly, “Nobody’s going to open the door if you stop knocking.”
Of course, tremendous progress has been made by the Alzheimer’s Association and its volunteer advocates over the past 15 years. Among the Association’s more notable public policy achievements:
* A five-fold increase in federal funding of Alzheimer research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – although there has been a slight decline in terms of real dollars over the past several years.
* A growing number of states approving Alzheimer respite funding to support programs and services for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias and their caregivers. As a point of reference, Ohio was one of the first states to create an Alzheimer Respite Line Item, which provides almost 20 percent of our chapter’s annual operating revenue.
* The adoption of formal Alzheimer’s State Plans by a growing number of states (including Kentucky).
* Regulatory changes at the state and federal level that enhance dementia training of long-term care professionals and staff, thus improving the care of patients with dementia.
Currently, the Association continues its efforts to secure increased federal funding for Alzheimer research and ensure that the issue of Alzheimer’s disease and the care of those affected will be a major point of consideration for Congress as future health care reforms are planned and implemented.
The success of the Alzheimer’s Association and its public policy efforts is largely dependent on the work of motivated and dedicated volunteer advocates who speak out in support of our mission and those affected by Alzheimer’s disease. To reach those goals, we need you to add your voice. If you are interested in becoming an advocate, go to www.alz.org and sign up. Your level of participation may be as simple as an occasional phone call or email to a legislator or as involved as regular office visits at the state capital…it’s really up to you.
So take the advice of my Memory Walk friend…keep knocking on that door. Sooner or later, that door is going to open.
Advocates Answer Call To Push Alzheimer’s Message
Massive budget deficits, rising foreclosure and unemployment rates, corporate bankruptcies and funding cuts to social service programs at a time of acute need…it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the bad news of the past two years.
But the difficult times our country now experiences only seems to be strengthening the resolve of Alzheimer advocates and increasing the number of people who are taking up the cause.
When I attended the Alzheimer’s Association’s National Public Policy Forum in Washington, D.C. in March, I was struck not only by the size of the forum, but the enthusiasm and optimism of those in attendance. Despite the poor economy, a record 545 advocates - representing 49 states and Canada - attended the forum. It was notable that this year’s forum attracted a more diverse and younger group of attendees - nearly half of whom were “first-timers” to the forum.
When our advocates traveled to Capitol Hill to visit with members of Congress on the final day of the forum, it was impossible to miss our advocates and their purple sashes. At least a dozen times that day I was confronted by complete strangers who, upon seeing my Alzheimer’s Association sash, stopped me and told me about their family who was affected by Alzheimer’s disease and how grateful they were that I was there speaking out about the issue on their behalf.
A few weeks later, nearly 200 volunteer advocates attended the 2009 Ohio Memory Day at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on April 7. Now in its eleventh year, Memory Day is an annual event that provides Alzheimer advocates an opportunity to meet with state legislators to discuss their concerns regarding Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on Ohio.
Whether it’s in Washington, D.C., Columbus or Frankfort, Alzheimer advocates are speaking in a loud and clear voice to their legislators. Our success can be measured by a number of recent developments:
* For the first time in nearly seven years, federal funding of Alzheimer research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is expected to be increased.
* A growing number of states, including Kentucky, have adopted formal Alzheimer’s State Plans to help address the current and future challenges that Alzheimer’s disease poses to state health care systems and the population at large.
* Despite major budget cuts in Ohio, the Alzheimer’s Respite Line Item (ARLI) was spared significant cuts for 2010-2011. The ARLI has provided millions of dollars in support of essential education and respite programs (many provided by Association chapters) for more than a decade.
* Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on our nation’s aging population has attracted significant interest in the growing call for health care reform in Washington. Earlier this year, the Senate Special Committee on Aging heard testimony from the Alzheimer’s Study Group (chaired by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former governor Bob Kerry) regarding its recommendations in the creation of a national strategic plan to deal with the growing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the United States.
As an Association we continue to build a stronger and better informed network of advocates - both locally and nationally. But if we are to truly succeed in our mission of advocacy on behalf of the millions of families touched by this disease today and the many more to follow, our base of advocates must continue to grow. Today, more than ever, your voice needs to be heard.
For more information, email: steve.olding@alz.org
