Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema partnered with a bipartisan group of senators to introduce the Improving HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act. The bipartisan legislation encourages care planning to improve the quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients. It is important for doctors, newly diagnosed patients, and their families to come up with a plan for how to handle future health and caregiving needs as the disease progresses.
“Care planning helps Arizonans living with Alzheimer’s and their families prepare for the future. Our bipartisan bill strengthens support for care planning and reduces long term costs for caregiving,” said Sinema, a member of the Senate Aging Committee.
Care planning can significantly improve a patient’s quality of life and save the Medicare system and Arizona families from high medical costs in the long run. The Improving HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act encourages the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop outreach programs for care providers to spread awareness for a new Medicare care planning benefit for patients with Alzheimer’s.
Arizona currently has one of the fastest-growing rates of Alzheimer’s in the nation. It is estimated that Arizonans caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s provide nearly $4 billion in unpaid care annually, often at great personal cost.
Sinema continues her work in the U.S. Senate as an active ally of Arizona’s Alzheimer’s patients. Sinema championed while serving in the U.S. House the HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act – the preceding legislation of her new bill, Improving HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act.
