Few individuals give voice to it, but many fear the infirmities that can come with advancing age, particularly the diseases that can rob one of strength, independence and, far too often, personal dignity. Among the most feared is Alzheimer's, a disease for which there is no cure at present.
Alzheimer's is so feared because every individual is subject to the greatest risk factor associated with the ailment -- aging. Live long enough, and the possibility of developing the disease increases. Demography emphasizes that. The Alzheimer's Association reports that about 5.4 million Americans currently have the disease. It also predicts that number will soar, likely doubling in the next two decades as Baby Boomers move into their 60s and beyond. That prospect finally has engendered a useful response.
President Barack Obama's proposed fiscal 2013 budget includes an increase of about $90 million annually in funding for Alzheimer's research and public health services. Given the toll the disease exacts, the increase is propitious, especially when the administration hopes to slow the growing cost of health care. It acknowledges the need to step up efforts to contain or to conquer the malady.
There is some promise on that front. Researchers have gained new insights into how Alzheimer's attacks and takes over the brain. That understanding might eventually lead to discovery of a way to stop the inexorable process that eventually robs victims of the ability to remember, think and reason. The nature of the disease, though, makes a quick breakthrough unlikely.
More likely, it will take an extended period of dogged research to produce meaningful results in the Alzheimer's battle. The proposed budget increase will underwrite, in part, that long and necessary slog.
Alzheimer's, despite the fear it engenders and its increasing incidence, never has received a fair share of government research funds or a great deal of private funding. Research into other diseases with a higher profile or more prominent advocates gets far more fiscal support. The president's proposed increase in battling Alzheimer's is a first step in rectifying that problem. It deserves broad legislative support. There's no reason for partisanship. Alzheimer's doesn't discriminate on the basis of political affiliation or philosophy.
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