HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 25
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegates Perdue, Staton, Kominar,
Boggs, R. Thompson, Campbell, Howard and Carmichael)
[Introduced February 4, 2003; referred to the
Committee on Rules.]
Designating November as "Alzheimer's Awareness Month."
Whereas, Approximately 41,000 West Virginians have Alzheimer's
disease; and
Whereas,
West Virginia has the highest average age and highest
percentage of Medicare recipients in the nation; and
Whereas,
While the state's total population is expected to
remain constant indefinitely, its elderly population is projected
to grow by sixty percent during the next twenty-five years due to
low in-migration and the tendency for older residents to remain in
the state; and
Whereas, The number one risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is
age. One in ten persons over age sixty-five and nearly half of
those over eighty-five have Alzheimer's, and, increasingly, it is
found in people in their forties and fifties; and
Whereas, Alzheimer's disease is the third most expensive
disease in the United States, after heart disease and cancer. The
average lifetime cost per patient is close to $200,000; and
Whereas, More than seven out of ten people with Alzheimer's
disease live at home. Almost seventy-five percent of the home care is provided by family and friends. The remainder is paid care,
costing an average of $12,500 per year, of which families pay
almost all out-of-pocket; and
Whereas, Half of all nursing home residents suffer from
Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder. The average cost for a
resident's care in a nursing home is $42,000 per year; and
Whereas, The percentage of total Medicaid expenditures going to
long-term care in West Virginia is a very low 23.1%, and the state
is considered to be below average in nursing home expenditures; and
Whereas, Neither Medicare nor private health insurance covers
the long-term type of care most people with Alzheimer's disease
need; and
Whereas, Lack of specialized services for Alzheimer's patients
in West Virginia is a problem. Where Alzheimer specific services
are available, they are often offered in private-pay settings,
which many families cannot afford; and
Whereas, The West Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer's
Association serves all fifty-five counties in West Virginia and six
counties in eastern Ohio. It is committed to standing by those who
have Alzheimer's disease and their families through support
services, caregiver education, training for health care
professionals, advocacy on issues that impact Alzheimer families,
a caregiver assistance fund, and support for research; therefore,
be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature of West Virginia hereby designates
November as "Alzheimer's Awareness Month"; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates is
hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the
appropriate representatives of the West Virginia chapter of the
Alzheimer's Association.