The Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging needs your help to combat Alzheimer’s disease.
Teresa Osborne led a roundtable discussion at a regional Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Forum Wednesday at Ralston House.
The forum brought together stakeholders from local communities throughout the Philadelphia area and the surrounding counties to discuss their engagement in, and the progress of, Pennsylvania’s State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders. The forums are also intended to inspire action by fostering a deeper understanding of Alzheimer’s and the public health crisis it poses.
“The challenges for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, and those who selflessly care for them, are often staggering,” Osborne said. “In Pennsylvania, over 400,000 individuals are afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, and that number is expected to increase markedly as the baby boomer generation reaches the age of 65 and beyond.”
The Philadelphia Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Forum is the seventh and final in a series regional roundtables held throughout the commonwealth aimed at engaging community leaders and stakeholders in discussions about the different experiences and responses to dementia at the local level.
Osborne asked that the conversation not end with the forums; she asked that any person with actionable recommendations please contact her office.
As the Wolf Administration pursues the creation of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services, the state plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders maintains its critical role in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
“One in 12 families in Pennsylvania are impacted by this disease and they are depending on us to ensure that we work together to realize our shared vision of a world without Alzheimer’s,” Osborne said. “The Wolf Administration is committed to working with those who have been diagnosed, their families, and all stakeholders so that we improve awareness, cultivate knowledge, and garner the proper sense of urgency about the medical, social, and financial implications of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders in communities across the commonwealth.”