To the editor:

At a cost of $236 billion a year, Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in the nation. Nearly one in every five Medicare dollars is spent on caring for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. These costs will only continue to increase as baby boomers age, soaring to more than $1 trillion in 2050.

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates there are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, including over 89,000 here in Alabama. Both of my grandfathers were among those; I speak not only as an advocate, but as a granddaughter.

Thank you to Rep. Martha Roby for specific attention being paid to our cause. We rely on such great support to assist us with meeting our mission to end Alzheimer’s once and for all. Please join with us in urging all candidates for public office to take bold action in confronting this epidemic now. It is only through adequate funding and a strong implementation of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease that we will meet its goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer’s by 2025.

Heather Goggin

Ambassador w/ the AL/ FL Panhandle Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association