Grant will fund service to work with under 65 with memory loss.

Alzheimer's disease isn't a disease that only strikes the elderly.  According to a 2007 report issued by the Alzheimer's Association, it is estimated that a half million in the United States in their 50s, 40s, even 30s, are living with Alzheimer's diease and other forms of dementia.

Early or Young Onset Alzheimer's disease, which occurs in people under the age of 65, strikes people in the prime of their lives.  Many are in the midst of raising a family or at the height of their careers when their symptoms begin to appear.  Due to the nature of the disease, their job performance eventually suffers, causing them to lose their jobs and affects all aspects of carrying out their daily life.

Since Alzheimer's is considered an older person's disease, many who are showing symptoms of Early Onset or Young Onset Alzheimer's have trouble getting an accurate diagnosis.  Early Onset or Young Onset Alzheimer's is especially problematic because most of the potentially helpful programs and services are designed for older adults; often, people under 65 do not qualify for public or private assistance programs.

Because of this awareness of need, agencies who provide assistance to persons with Alzheimer's disease have joined forces.  The state Health and Human Services department's Unit on Aging and the Great Plains and Midlands chapters of the Alzheimer's Association which serve Nebraska are reaching out to persons who could have Early or Young Onset Alzheimer's disease.

The chapters have been awarded a year-long, federally funded grant "Consumer-Directed Services for Families of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease" to identify individuals younger than 65 with problems, including significant memory loss that are serious enough to affect the individual's capability to carry out the activities of their daily life.  The chapters will have a service coordinator, who will meet with the person with memory problems and their spouse or another significant person in their life to assess their needs and to identify services, such as legal and estate planning, medical evaluation services to determine a diagnosis, counseling services to cope and other services that will be identified by the person, in conjunction with the service coordinator.  A quarterly stipend can be authorized to assist with the identified needs, if this need is found to be appropriate during the needs assessment process.

We are here to offer HELP and HOPE.

All day.

Every day.

Contact Teresa Stitcher Fritz, Program Director
teresa.stitcher-fritz@alz.org
402-420-2540