Dementia Awareness Alzheimer’s NJ: Caregiving · Volunteer · Donate
ALZ.org: Symptoms · #GoPurple · #EndALZ
Alzheimer’s Disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, who in 1906, described changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of what was thought to be an unusual illness. He found abnormal clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles). These plaques and tangles are now considered the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s usually starts in the part of the brain essential in forming memories, and as more neurons die, gradually spreads to other parts of the brain. Although treatment may temporarily delay the appearance of symptoms in some people with Alzheimer’s, currently there is no medication that cures this devastating disease.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) (S. 2080/H.R. 647).
Introduced in the House by Frank Pallone and other New Jersey congressional representatives, PCHETA would increase the availability and quality of care by establishing palliative care and hospice workforce training programs, creating a national education and awareness campaign about the benefits of palliative care and available services and supports, and enhancing research on improving the delivery of palliative care.
PCHETA would also increase the availability and quality of care by establishing palliative care and hospice workforce training programs, creating a national education and awareness campaign about the benefits of palliative care and available services and supports, and enhancing research on improving the delivery of palliative care.
Today, nearly half of all people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias are in hospice care at the time of their death. For people with advanced dementia, such team-based care improves quality of life, controls costs, and enhances patient satisfaction.