State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HR1102

 
                                               LRB9218261HShs

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS,   Alzheimer's   disease   is    a    progressive
 3    degenerative  disease  of the brain, and the most common form
 4    of dementia; it results in impaired  thinking  and  behavior;
 5    Alzheimer's  disease  usually  begins  gradually,  causing  a
 6    person  to  forget  events  and to have difficulty performing
 7    familiar tasks; and

 8        WHEREAS, How rapidly the  disease  advances  varies  from
 9    person to person, causing confusion, personality and behavior
10    changes   and   impaired   judgment;   communication  becomes
11    difficult as the person with Alzheimer's disease struggles to
12    find words, finish thoughts  or  follow  directions;  persons
13    with  the  disease  may wander off and get lost, in their own
14    neighborhoods or far  from  home;  eventually,  persons  with
15    Alzheimer's   disease  become  totally  unable  to  care  for
16    themselves; and

17        WHEREAS, Over 200,000 citizens of Illinois are  afflicted
18    with  Alzheimer's  disease; 10% of persons over the age of 65
19    suffer from the disease and nearly 50% of  persons  over  the
20    age  of  85  are afflicted; the number is expected to grow to
21    300,000 in just 25 years  when  the  baby  boomer  generation
22    reaches the age of greatest risk for Alzheimer's disease; and

23        WHEREAS,  70%  of people with Alzheimer's disease live at
24    home, and 75% of these individuals depend upon  the  care  of
25    family and friends; frequently, the family caregivers' health
26    is compromised due to the stress of providing care; and

27        WHEREAS,  Over  50%  of  all  nursing home residents have
28    Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia; and

29        WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease  is  extremely  costly;  the
30    average  lifetime cost of Alzheimer's disease is $174,000 per
31    person; the cost of home care can exceed $12,500 per year and
 
                            -2-                LRB9218261HShs
 1    the cost of nursing home care averages $42,000 per year; and

 2        WHEREAS,  This  year  marks  the  20th   anniversary   of
 3    President   Reagan's  first  proclamation  of  the  month  of
 4    November as National Alzheimer's Disease Month  in  order  to
 5    increase  public  awareness about Alzheimer's disease and the
 6    Alzheimer's  Association  and  stimulate  the  interest   and
 7    concern  of  the American people, which may, in turn, lead to
 8    increased research and eventually the discovery of a cure for
 9    Alzheimer's disease; therefore, be it

10        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
11    NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12    November, 2002 be recognized as Alzheimer's Disease Month and
13    we  encourage  Illinoisans  to  strive  to increase awareness
14    about Alzheimer's disease.

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