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U.S. Sens. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, who serves as chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, held a Senate field hearing Friday to discuss Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and its impact on the elderly at both the state and national levels.

The at Granite Reef Senior Center in Scottsdale, titled 鈥淎lzheimer鈥檚 and Other Cognitive Diseases: An Arizona Perspective,鈥� featured guests from the senior community as well as a panel of health care experts.

Collins emphasized the severity of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and its growth in the U.S. With a cost of roughly $290 million per year, Alzheimer鈥檚 is the most expensive disease in the nation, and about $195 million of that impacts Medicaid and Medicare programs.

By 2050, Alzheimer鈥檚 is projected to impact the lives of roughly 14 million American senior citizens and cost roughly $1 trillion annually.

鈥淲e all know someone who has suffered from cognitive impairment, and the impact is immeasurable,鈥� McSally said. 鈥淥f the nearly 6 million estimated Americans aged 65 and older affected, 140,000 live in Arizona. My uncle was one of them, as he suffered for many years before passing away from Alzheimer鈥檚.鈥�

Arizona has the fastest-growing rate of Alzheimer鈥檚 in the nation. The death rate from Alzheimer鈥檚 in the state is 20 percent higher than the national average. Alzheimer鈥檚 deaths in the U.S. increased 89 percent between 2000 and 2014.聽

Health care professionals like the ones at the panel continue to strive for a solution.

Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton, director of the Center of Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona, researches late-onset Alzheimer鈥檚 prevention and potential cures. Another panelist, Alireza Atri of the Banner Sun Health Research Institute, has contributed developments in patient evaluation.

Caregivers are also making waves in Alzheimer鈥檚 treatment. McSally said that in 2017 the nation had more than 300,000 caregivers providing more than 376 million hours of unpaid care to patients with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.

Lisa Capp, a caregiver for patients with dementia, also served on the panel. Capp serves on the Alzheimer鈥檚 Association Leadership Board for the Desert Southwest and is a member of the Alzheimer鈥檚 Impact Movement (AIM) and AlzAuthors.

In tandem with health care leaders, McSally and Collins have helped enact policies to assist patients with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease:

• , McSally highlighted the impact Alzheimer鈥檚 disease has on Arizona families.
• , McSally introduced a bipartisan package of legislation to provide and enhance support systems for elder Americans.
• , McSally introduced bipartisan legislation allowing U.S. Postal Service customers the option of purchasing a semipostal (or fundraising) stamp to benefit awareness about elder abuse and support efforts to protect seniors.聽
• , McSally helped introduced the Anti-Spoofing Penalties Modernization Act of 2019 to aid Americans inundated with robocalls.

鈥淪en. Martha McSally鈥檚 commitments and contributions to the Aging Committee鈥檚 work are many, and today鈥檚 hearing is a testament to her work to advance research and care for families facing Alzheimer鈥檚 disease,鈥� Collins said.聽 鈥淎lzheimer鈥檚 is one of the greatest public health priorities not only to seniors in the Grand Canyon State, but also throughout our nation.

鈥淎s the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Alzheimer鈥檚 Task Force in the Senate, I have worked to boost funding for Alzheimer鈥檚 research,鈥� she said.聽 鈥淲ith increased federal investments and public-private partnerships, we are beginning to see hope. It was a pleasure to join my friend and colleague today to learn more about the progress we are making to combat this disease.鈥�