1Designating November 2013 as "Alzheimer's Disease Awareness and
2Education Month" in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible degenerative
4brain disorder affecting over 5 million Americans; and

5WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease slowly destroys memory and other
6thinking skills and eventually, even the ability to carry out
7simple tasks; and

8WHEREAS, Every 68 seconds someone in the United States is
9diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and by 2050 someone will
10develop the disease every 33 seconds; and

11WHEREAS, There is no known cure for Alzheimer's disease and
12an individual with Alzheimer's has a shorter life expectancy

1than the individual might have otherwise; and

2WHEREAS, Over 400,000 Pennsylvanians have Alzheimer's disease
3or a related disorder, ranking this Commonwealth fifth in the
4nation in the occurrence of the disease; and

5WHEREAS, People with dementia become increasingly reliant on
6caregivers throughout the course of the disease and more needs
7to be done to help family caregivers; and

8WHEREAS, Last year, 667,000 Pennsylvanians provided over 750
9million hours of unpaid care to a family member or loved one
10with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder, saving the
11Commonwealth more than $9 billion in care costs; and

12WHEREAS, The tragic personal toll and associated financial
13costs of Alzheimer's disease are expected to increase as the
14average age of this Commonwealth's population continues to rise;
15and

16WHEREAS, Continued Alzheimer's disease awareness and
17caregiver support are critical as the medical community
18continues to search for treatment and a cure; and

19WHEREAS, The 2012 World Alzheimer Report found a lack of
20awareness of the disease results in stigmatization, which can
21prevent individuals from getting diagnosed; and

22WHEREAS, Without a diagnosis, patients do not receive early
23treatments that could allow them to remain independent longer,
24they lose the opportunity to make their wishes about future care
25known and their families lose the opportunity to receive support
26services to help them care for their loved one at home; and

27WHEREAS, Many factors associated with the risk of
28cardiovascular disease are also associated with a higher risk of
29developing Alzheimer's disease, including: family history,
30stress, smoking, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and

1hypertension; and

2WHEREAS, Research suggests that what is good for the heart is
3good for the brain: we need further public education efforts
4focused on healthy aging, including eating well, exercising both
5mind and body and remaining socially active, as our best defense
6against Alzheimer's disease; therefore be it

7RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate
8November 2013 as "Alzheimer's Disease Awareness and Education
9Month" in Pennsylvania to raise awareness of the symptoms and
10prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders in this
11Commonwealth.