|
U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 11201. Findings
The Congress finds that -
(1) best estimates indicate that between 2,000,000 and
3,000,000 Americans presently have Alzheimer's disease or related
dementias;
(2) estimates of the number of individuals afflicted with
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are unreliable because
current diagnostic procedures lack accuracy and sensitivity and
because there is a need for epidemiological data on incidence and
prevalence of such disease and dementias;
(3) studies estimate that between one-half and two-thirds of
patients in nursing homes meet the clinical and mental status
criteria for dementia;
(4) the cost of caring for individuals with Alzheimer's disease
and related dementias is great, and conservative estimates range
between $38,000,000,000 and $42,000,000,000 per year solely for
direct costs;
(5) progress in the neurosciences and behavioral sciences has
demonstrated the interdependence and mutual reinforcement of
basic science, clinical research, and services research for
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias;
(6) programs initiated as part of the Decade of the Brain are
likely to provide significant progress in understanding the
fundamental mechanisms underlying the causes of, and treatments
for, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias;
(7) although substantial progress has been made in recent years
in identifying possible leads to the causes of Alzheimer's
disease and related dementias, and more progress can be expected
in the near future, there is little likelihood of a breakthrough
in the immediate future that would eliminate or substantially
reduce -
(A) the number of individuals with the disease and dementias;
or
(B) the difficulties of caring for the individuals;
(8) the responsibility for care of individuals with Alzheimer's
disease and related dementias falls primarily on their families,
and the care is financially and emotionally devastating;
(9) attempts to reduce the emotional and financial burden of
caring for dementia patients is impeded by a lack of knowledge
about such patients, how to care for such patients, the costs
associated with such care, the effectiveness of various modes of
care, the quality and type of care necessary at various stages of
the disease, and other appropriate services that are needed to
provide quality care;
(10) the results of the little research that has been
undertaken concerning dementia has been inadequate or the results
have not been widely disseminated;
(11) more knowledge is needed concerning -
(A) the epidemiology of, and the identification of risk
factors for, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias;
(B) the development of methods for early diagnosis,
functional assessment, and psychological evaluation of
individuals with Alzheimer's disease for the purpose of
monitoring the course of the disease and developing strategies
for improving the quality of life for such individuals;
(C) the understanding of the optimal range and
cost-effectiveness of community and institutional services for
individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and
their families, particularly with respect to the design,
delivery, staffing, and mix of such services and the
coordination of such services with other services, and with
respect to the relationship of formal to informal support
services;
(D) the understanding of optimal methods to combine formal
support services provided by health care professionals with
informal support services provided by family, friends, and
neighbors of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, and the
identification of ways family caregivers can be sustained
through interventions to reduce psychological and social
problems and physical problems induced by stress;
(E) existing data that are relevant to Alzheimer's disease
and related dementias; and
(F) the costs incurred in caring for individuals with
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias;
(12) it is imperative to provide appropriate coordination of
the efforts of the Federal Government in the provision of
services for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related
dementias;
(13) it is important to increase the understanding of
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias by the diverse range of
personnel involved in the care of individuals with such disease
and dementias; and
(14) it is imperative that the Social Security Administration
be provided information pertaining to Alzheimer's disease and
related dementias, particularly for personnel in such
Administration involved in the establishment and updating of
criteria for determining whether an individual is under a
disability for purposes of titles II and XVI of the Social
Security Act [42 U.S.C. 401 et seq., 1381 et seq.].
|
|