The Wins and Remaining Work for the National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Project
As many as one in three Americans dies with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. The number of diagnoses is expected to double over the next 30 years.
The National Alzheimer’s Project aims to accelerate research and improve care and services for those suffering from these debilitating diseases. But while the project has had many successes, more could be done to help advance the project.
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new report on this project.
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Advancements in treatments and supports
The National Alzheimer’s Project—led by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—has made great strides in the fight against dementia. It is a collaboration between federal agencies and others, such as health care providers and patient groups. Since it was established in 2011, there have been advancements in treatment and research. New grant programs that support community-based services have been created. And new education campaigns have raised public awareness of these diseases that seriously affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.
Key Milestones. With the help of this project, the first two approved treatments were developed aimed at slowing disease progression for early-stage Alzheimer’s. There’ve been other key highlights, too. For instance, health care professionals can now use new diagnostic tools involving blood testing, instead of invasive tests like spinal taps.
We also have a better understanding of key risk factors for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. This includes how behavioral changes, such as lowering blood pressure and exercising more, can reduce risk.
While no one can predict when a cure for Alzheimer’s and other dementias may be found, this project has helped advance research. And one non-federal group told us that there could be major discoveries made by the Alzheimer’s research community because of the efforts and achievements of the project.
Improving supports for patients and caregivers. HHS has also developed a pilot program to look at the effectiveness of supports for patients and caregivers. The pilot tests how comprehensive services covered by Medicare, such as access to 24/7 support lines, help those diagnosed with the disease and their caregivers. The goal is to improve quality of life, with an added benefit of reducing Medicare and Medicaid costs.
Improving access for veterans. The project has also enabled enhanced awareness and collaboration between federal agencies. For example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enroll select veterans in dementia studies. That’s because veterans may be more likely to have experienced traumatic brain injury, which can increase dementia risk.
What can be done to bolster the National Alzheimer’s Project?
The work done through the National Alzheimer’s Project is important and more could be done to make sure it is as effective as it could be. For example, HHS has set long-term goals, such as reducing the risk of Alzheimer's. But the department has yet to set tangible, measurable shorter-term goals. This makes it difficult to collect the information needed to assess progress that’s currently being made toward larger long-term aims and make changes to project priorities as appropriate.
HHS could also do more to communicate with its project partners. For example, the project has an advisory council that is required to evaluate and make recommendations to HHS every year about how to improve this effort. The department should give the advisory council updates on each of its recommendations using information collected from ongoing projects. That information could then be used to inform future actions.
HHS could also improve communication by assessing progress on shorter-term goals and presenting it in an easy-to-read format. This could help all researchers and policymakers make better-informed decisions, such as to help allocate limited resources where they are most needed.
Combined, our recommendations could lead to more advancements in the fight against a disease that devastates families affected by it.
To learn more about our recommendations and the work on Alzheimer’s and dementia, be sure to check out our report. For more information about the National Alzheimer’s Project’s efforts, visit its website.
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