from KPRC channel 2 this is Houston
newsmakers with Kem Brel Marshall and
welcome to Houston newsmakers this week
we're going to talk about some exciting
news in the fight against Alzheimer's an
estimated five million Americans are
living with Alzheimer's disease
projections of that number will nearly
tripled in 30 years and that's scary the
Alzheimer's Association says it's the
most expensive disease in the United
States costing 277 billion dollars and
it's no wonder that Congress has now
recognized as terrible disease as a
public health crisis so now what here
this morning with some answers John
Harris the Alzheimer's Association Texas
director of federal public policy and
Mike macguff the Alzheimer's advocacy
ambassador who previously played that
role for congressman John Culberson and
now with congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher
good morning to both of you you know
when I read that the Senate had
unanimously passed a bill in December
that was eye raising only three folks
from the House voted against it which
kind of wonder who they are but it was I
reason because there's really never this
kind of bipartisan support for anything
but now that that's happened this bold
this building our largest dementia
infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act
that's a mouthful I see where hyphenated
to bowl what's the bottom line about
that act and what does it mean for the
fight against it's disease well the
bottom line is now Alzheimer's is
finally going to be thought of no longer
as an aging issue we thought of what it
truly is and that is a public health
crisis does give more money available to
the research that goes into it is that
somehow that gives a fast-track to maybe
well no this isn't necessarily a
research bill this is
a bill that is going to bring in this is
a federal government's attempt to bring
in all the stakeholders state federal
tribal governments and the health
department's to incorporate all the
communities underneath one umbrella to
address Alzheimer's and from the
information you've given me there's so
many facts about this disease tremendous
impact it has on all of us
caregivers tasked with taking care of
loved ones half they incur more than
eleven billion dollars in additional
health care costs every year I
understand that my wife has taken care
of her parents right now federal and
state budgets are hammered by this
disease one in every five dollars spent
by Medicare spent on people with
Alzheimer's and dementia and that number
is growing
absolutely and what's one of the scarier
statistics that's half about half the
people who now have the disease don't
know it after that's scary as well and I
want to talk about this early detection
Mike this is where you come in I know
that your mom you lost her she was 58
years old correct so early onset
diagnosis and now that happened at 58
years old the challenges of dealing with
that at such an early age how did that
impact you now as a young man yourself
of a mother who died early how is that
impacting you would change your life
going forward oh I think it totally
changed my life because I'm sitting here
today and at this point I don't know do
I have it well I I'm 41 years old at 53
am I gonna be diagnosed was that when
she was diagnosed was when she was
diagnosed and then died at age 58 so it
definitely changed my life and I
realized first and foremost I need to
spend time with my kids and I need to
spend time with family because you don't
know how long you're gonna be here and I
want them to remember me and throughout
this process and going through her
diagnosis and her passing what have you
done to change your life as a result of
what you experienced with her well I
talked with my doctor and she has me
very regulated as far as cholesterol
like that runs in my family she says
let's make sure we control that let's
make sure you're on a diet that is not
going to lead to you know any
complications that might cause this
because there's still a lot of questions
is too
what exactly is causing people to get
the disease and that I'm guessing Mike
that's one of the things that
encouragement when you see this act
passed that it does elevate the public
discourse about all of this and at least
that gets a dialogue going what do you
think is gonna be the most effective
thing that can be done in the next few
weeks and months and years as a result
of the passage of this act well I think
it's just gonna be a the fact of
mobilizing the public getting the
getting the funding out there that's
gonna be one of the thing and that's
what the Congress is working on right
now getting the funding out to the local
state and tribal governments and then
they'll determine our where that funding
is gonna go and how they're going to use
it what are you hearing now about some
of the scientific efforts to find a cure
what's the latest on the horizon and
your organization that you're hearing
about that we should be optimistic about
in terms of what's being done to try to
find at least some cues about what may
be causing well you know what we're what
we're finding now and and I'm sure that
everyone is aware you know researchers
have been working on a cure for a long
time but what we're finding now is that
everything that your doctor has been
asking of you all of these years to
protect your heart are things that you
can do to help protect your brain
everything from like Mike mentioned
watching your cholesterol and your blood
pressure and eating right and sleeping
and getting enough exercise are all
things that can help protect your brain
help I look forward to the envelope that
comes of my house so often with the
little purple on it the Alzheimer's
Association what do you want people to
do to help your organization go ahead
and keep this momentum going to try to
continue to get the word out and get the
research done that it needs to get done
well it's being it's being active being
informed the best place they can do that
is if is going to the Alzheimer's
Association website alz.org is a bevy of
information on brain health and also all
sorts of information that they can they
can learn about the Alzheimer's
Association and
my gears social media blogger you have a
lot of people that you get word out to
that gives you an expertise in an area
that really could be helpful in helping
to get this word out how are you
incorporating your skillset to go ahead
and make a difference as an advocate for
this well definitely I'm trying to work
as an ambassador I work with my member
of Congress so I can definitely spread
the word like when the bold act was
about to be passed we were really
reaching out to all politicians to try
to get them to sign on and also I I try
to inform my audience with the latest
news there's always so many different
articles and studies that come out on
Alzheimer's and I think the more that we
get the word out there the better
because it's something that it could
affect everyone and I know the best
thing would be that the Alzheimer's
Association is out of business that
would be good that means it's done you
know I'm an eternal optimist I hope that
one day that will happen but we know
it's an uphill battle but the fact that
you're on talking about it does help a
lot absolutely
you know the Alzheimer's Association is
doing their best we have an advocating
arm also and it's called the Alzheimer's
impact movement and that's how Mike
signed up through them with us it's a
located at Alzheimer's impact org and
I'm gonna put all of that information on
my webpage so that people can go though
you're watching it now you know to go to
the newsmakers section on Clifton you
centcom will make that happen so
everybody can get the information they
need and I'll time into your your site
as well great thank you thank you very
much John Harris my macguff thank you
for all you do good luck and you
continued endeavours to try to make an
impact to get this disease out of here
we really need that thank you thank you
they died just months apart 73 years
together as we prepare for the Barbara
Bush shoots of literacy foundation 25th
annual celebration of reading the
granddaughter President George and
Barbara Bush has written about the
incredible bond they shared
Haley LeBlanc Sousa is here to talk
about George and Barbara Bush a great
American love story
you