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S.C.R. 1
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8 LONG TITLE
9 Committee Note:
10 The Health and Human Services Interim Committee recommended this bill.
11 General Description:
12 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor urges Utahns to increase
13 their awareness of the impact of Alzheimer's disease.
14 Highlighted Provisions:
15 This resolution:
16 . recognizes the citizens of Utah who are battling Alzheimer's disease or a related
17 dementia and their caregivers as courageous Utahns engaged in a healthcare battle
18 of the 21st century;
19 . encourages their families, neighbors, employers, congregations, and the community
20 at large to readily communicate their support, lend a helping hand, and promote
21 open discussion about Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia;
22 . urges Utah's care provider industry to continue working hand-in-hand with families
23 to support and care for those coping with the devastating effects of Alzheimer's
24 disease or a related dementia;
25 . recommends that all Utahns recognize their risk and personally adopt a
26 brain-healthy lifestyle to reduce the controllable risks of the disease; and
27 . urges Utah's brain health research and medical communities to continue their
28 efforts to make the breakthroughs necessary to treat and ultimately prevent Alzheimer's disease
29 and related dementias.
30 Special Clauses:
31 None
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33 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
34 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, comprising
35 70% of all cases;
36 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is the 5th leading cause of death in America of
37 persons aged 65 and older;
38 WHEREAS, every 70 seconds, a new case of Alzheimer's disease occurs somewhere in
39 America;
40 WHEREAS, over 40,000 people in Utah are afflicted with Alzheimer's disease or a
41 related dementia, including one in eight people over the age of 65 and nearly one-half of all
42 persons over the age of 85;
43 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is not exclusively a disease of the aged, as younger
44 onset dementia has also afflicted Utahns in their 30s and 40s;
45 WHEREAS, dementia is a category of symptoms characterized by loss of or decline in
46 memory and other cognitive abilities and is caused by various diseases and conditions that
47 result in damaged brain cells, including Alzheimer's disease;
48 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that is insidious at its
49 onset, results in gradual loss of memory and other cognitive functions, and eventually results in
50 death;
51 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is accompanied by memory loss, poor judgment,
52 changes in personality and behavior, and a tendency to wander, resulting in an increased risk
53 for accidental injury, getting lost, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of those afflicted;
54 WHEREAS, Utahns live longer than the rest of the nation and the greatest risk factor
55 for Alzheimer's disease is increasing age, with more than 90% of Alzheimer's cases developing
56 in people older than 65;
57 WHEREAS, Utah has the highest projected percentage increase in Alzheimer's disease
58 or a related dementia at 127%, compared with all other states for the time period covering 2000
59 to 2025;
60 WHEREAS, the number of persons in Utah with Alzheimer's disease is expected to rise
61 to nearly 60,000 by 2025 as the baby boom generation enters the age of greatest risk for the
62 disease;
63 WHEREAS, a person with Alzheimer's disease lives an average of eight years and may
64 live up to 20 years after diagnosis;
65 WHEREAS, 70% of persons with Alzheimer's disease are cared for by family and
66 friends at home;
67 WHEREAS, in 2008, 90,283 family members, friends, and neighbors in Utah provided
68 unpaid care for a person with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia;
69 WHEREAS, in 2008, these individuals provided 77,932,159 hours of unpaid care,
70 valued at $865,046,968;
71 WHEREAS, most families are honored to provide care for a loved one suffering from
72 Alzheimer's, but some experience high levels of care-related stress, depression, and other
73 negative health and economic outcomes;
74 WHEREAS, people with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia often require
75 substantial amounts of paid care from private resources;
76 WHEREAS, average Medicare payments per person for beneficiaries aged 65 and older
77 with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia were almost three times higher than average
78 Medicare payments for other Medicare beneficiaries in the same age group;
79 WHEREAS, in 2005, the direct costs to Medicare and Medicaid for care of people with
80 Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia and the related indirect costs to businesses for
81 employees who were caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia
82 amounted to over $148 billion nationally;
83 WHEREAS, these costs will continue to rise each year as the number of people with
84 Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia grows with the aging of the population;
85 WHEREAS, the field of Alzheimer's research is evolving rapidly and provides new
86 hope for slowing the progress, delaying the effects, or even preventing the onset of Alzheimer's
87 disease, with clinical trials examining a host of possible interventions, such as cognitive
88 training, breakthrough medications, diet and exercise, and immunization; and
89 WHEREAS, research has also substantiated that a brain-healthy lifestyle, including
90 proper nutrition, appropriate exercise, cognitive activity, and social engagement may also
91 reduce controllable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia:
92 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
93 Governor concurring therein, recognize the citizens of Utah who are battling the disabling
94 effects of Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia and their caregivers as courageous Utahns
95 engaged in a major healthcare battle of the 21st century.
96 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor encourage their
97 families, neighbors, employers, congregations, and the community at large to readily
98 communicate their support, lend a helping hand, and promote open discussion about
99 Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.
100 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Utah's care
101 provider industry to continue working hand-in-hand with families to support and care for those
102 coping with the devastating effects of Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.
103 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recommend that
104 all Utahns personally adopt a brain-healthy lifestyle to reduce their risk of Alzheimer's disease
105 or a related dementia by staying mentally fit, socially engaged, physically active, and adopting
106 a brain-healthy diet.
107 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Utah's brain
108 health research and medical communities to continue their efforts through studies and clinical
109 research to treat, prevent, and ultimately cure Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
110 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the National
111 Alzheimer's Association and to its Utah Chapter.
Legislative Review Note
as of 12-8-09 1:48 PM