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92_SR0542
LRB9218260HShs
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is a progressive
3 degenerative disease of the brain, and the most common form
4 of dementia; it results in impaired thinking and behavior;
5 Alzheimer's disease usually begins gradually, causing a
6 person to forget events and to have difficulty performing
7 familiar tasks; and
8 WHEREAS, How rapidly the disease advances varies from
9 person to person, causing confusion, personality and behavior
10 changes and impaired judgment; communication becomes
11 difficult as the person with Alzheimer's disease struggles to
12 find words, finish thoughts or follow directions; persons
13 with the disease may wander off and get lost, in their own
14 neighborhoods or far from home; eventually, persons with
15 Alzheimer's disease become totally unable to care for
16 themselves; and
17 WHEREAS, Over 200,000 citizens of Illinois are afflicted
18 with Alzheimer's disease; 10% of persons over the age of 65
19 suffer from the disease and nearly 50% of persons over the
20 age of 85 are afflicted; the number is expected to grow to
21 300,000 in just 25 years when the baby boomer generation
22 reaches the age of greatest risk for Alzheimer's disease; and
23 WHEREAS, 70% of people with Alzheimer's disease live at
24 home, and 75% of these individuals depend upon the care of
25 family and friends; frequently, the family caregivers' health
26 is compromised due to the stress of providing care; and
27 WHEREAS, Over 50% of all nursing home residents have
28 Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia; and
29 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is extremely costly; the
30 average lifetime cost of Alzheimer's disease is $174,000 per
31 person; the cost of home care can exceed $12,500 per year and
-2- LRB9218260HShs
1 the cost of nursing home care averages $42,000 per year; and
2 WHEREAS, This year marks the 20th anniversary of
3 President Reagan's first proclamation of the month of
4 November as National Alzheimer's Disease Month in order to
5 increase public awareness about Alzheimer's disease and the
6 Alzheimer's Association and stimulate the interest and
7 concern of the American people, which may, in turn, lead to
8 increased research and eventually the discovery of a cure for
9 Alzheimer's disease; therefore, be it
10 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
11 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that November, 2002 be
12 recognized as Alzheimer's Disease Month and we encourage
13 Illinoisans to strive to increase awareness about Alzheimer's
14 disease.