By Chloe Elmer
The top goal of the nation’s Alzheimer’s plan is to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. For that to happen, the nation’s corporate leaders will need to help.
Penn Memory Center Co-Director Dr. Jason Karlawish and Joshua Grill, an associate professor University of California, Irvine, called on corporate America in a recent Fobes column to make policy changes.
At PMC and across the nation, most Alzheimer’s research requires a study partner, who plays a key role both in clinic visits and at home. And though most caregivers are adult children, study partners tend to be the spouses of participants. Often, these caregivers who are not study partners are adult children who are in the midst of their careers, saving money for their own futures, and cannot afford to take the necessary time off to participate in research.
Employers dedicated to finding effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease should offer paid time off for their employees participating in Alzheimer’s research with a family member, Karlawish and Grill write. The authors specifically call on members of the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease, including Bank of America, AARP, Pfizer, GE and United Healthcare, among others, to “lead the charge in this important initiative.” They also outline ways in which researchers, policymakers, and study sponsors can step up.
Read the whole column here.