Local News Highlights
2008 Alzheimer's Association East Central Iowa Chapter Officers and New DirectorsThe Alzheimer’s Association East Central Iowa Chapter has elected the following officers for 2008:
 Debbie Jones, President |
 Gary Wicklund, Vice-President |
 Joel Schmidt, Vice President/Treasurer |
|
The Association has also elected new directors for 2008:
 Nader Amr, Aegon |
 Debbie Craig, Community Volunteer |
 David Good, former judge of Iowa’s 6th Judicial District |
 Kathy Collison-Good, Collison-Good, Williams & Dunnigan, Associates in Counseling |
 Joe Hartman, Schneider Electric |
Mona Knoll, Nazette, Marner, Wendt, Knoll & Usher, LLP |
 Patrick Allen, Rockwell Collins |
Local Alzheimer's Association East Central Iowa Board Member raises her VOICE
Anne Salamon, a member of the Alzheimer's Association East Central Iowa Board of Director's and active advocate for Alzheimer's, recently spoke up against President Bush's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Proposal in a Letter to the Editor to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Read the article
Thank you to Anne for using your VOICE to speak up for Alzheimer's.
Become an Alzheimer's advocate
Alzheimer's Association VOICE the VISION Rally on target to hit $50,000 mark
Thank you to our participants, sponsors and donors for all of your support!
Local community members participated in the Alzheimer’s Association East Central Iowa Chapter’s VOICE the VISION Rally, held at KGAN- CBS2 studios in Cedar Rapids and at Crossroads Center in Waterloo on Tuesday, January 29th. The event is approaching the $50,000 goal, and donations are still being accepted. If you would like to make a contribution, please call 1-877-ALZ-CURE or visit www.alz.org/eci. Money raised from the event will fund Alzheimer research, education, care and support.
“We are so pleased and grateful about the addition of the ½ hour live show produced by KGAN- CBS 2 which helped kick off the event,” said Kelly Hauer, Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association East Central Iowa Chapter. “It allowed us to really educate viewers about the disease and why we need to be concerned. The baby boomers are now coming into the age of greatest risk. We must address this public health issue that threatens us all. With funds raised at this year’s event, the Alzheimer’s Association will provide much needed education and support for people touched by the disease and thus serve to advance research to move us closer to our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s.”
The Alzheimer’s Association’s VOICE the VISION Rally is hosted by KGAN-CBS2 with Iowa Hospice as the event’s major sponsor. Other sponsors include Crossroads Center, ImOn Communications, Iowa Electronics, Verizon Wireless, KDAT, WMT, and Courier Communications.
To check your personal status from the Cedar Rapids event visit www.voicethevision.kintera.org/cr and from Waterloo, www.voicethevision.kintera.org/waterloo.
Thank you to all of our participants!
Jones elected to National Alzheimer’s Association Board
Debbie Jones, Alzheimer’s Association East Central Iowa Chapter President, has been elected to the National Alzheimer’s Association Board of Directors.
“I am very excited and humbled to have this opportunity to serve on the National Board,” Jones stated. “I will continue to be an advocate for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers in the area of public policy. This disease is very personal to me. I believe we must raise awareness and funds to promote research so that our children can someday live in a world without this devastating disease. I am committed to making this happen.”
The announcement was made in Chicago during a recent Alzheimer’s Association National Board meeting this past November. Jones will serve a three-year term.
Featured Cedar Rapids Gazette articles
Click here to view the "East Iowans Walk for Good, others with Alzheimer's" article printed in the Gazette on Monday, September 24, 2007.
Click here to view Team Charlotte featured in the Gazette.
The 13th Annual Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Education Conference was held on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at the Cedar Rapids Marriott with a featured pre-conference, "Cultural Considerations for Providing Quality Dementia Care" on Wednesday, August 15th. Read the article featured in the Cedar Rapids Gazette here.
Chapter Newsletter
If you are interested in subscribing to our FREE quarterly newsletter, email Lindsey Driscoll at lindsey.driscoll@alz.org.
National news highlights
Alzheimer’s Association calls on presidential candidates to address looming epidemic
Report reveals 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease
According to the new 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report released today, 10 million baby boomers will develop the disease and in full page ads in the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, the Alzheimer’s Association asks the presidential candidates what they are going to do about the escalating Alzheimer epidemic. Currently there is no cure or effective treatment that delays the progression of the fatal disease.
“Leadership from the top is vital and an effective plan to stop this emerging epidemic is necessary to save millions of lives and billions of dollars for the nation’s healthcare system,” said Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association. “Disease-modifying treatments are within our grasp, but an immediate and significant increase in federally funded Alzheimer research is critical to make Alzheimer’s a thing of the past.”
The 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures indicates that there are an estimated 5.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, the seventh leading cause of death in the country and the fifth leading cause of death for those over age 65. Experts predict by 2010, there will be almost a half million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease a year; and by 2050, there will be almost a million new cases each year.
“Whether it is President-elect Clinton, McCain or Obama – each one must be prepared to address the concerns of the millions affected by Alzheimer’s today and the one out of eight boomers who will face it tomorrow. The stakes are high and ending Alzheimer’s disease must be at the top of the next Administration’s agenda or the consequences will be dire for families, Medicare, Medicaid and the nation’s healthcare infrastructure,” said Johns.
View newspaper ad
Check out other Alzheimer's updates in the national news.
