Washington, Nov 18 - One of the leading causes of death in the United States, Alzheimer's Disease plagues over five million Americans including one in eight persons over 65 and almost half of those over 85. The fight against this increasingly widespread illness requires a continued, vigorous national effort, Congressman Chris Smith (Robbinsville, NJ-04), co-founder of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, said yesterday.

    "Madam Speaker, today, I had the honor to speak at a briefing on Alzheimer’s disease and the important work of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health, in providing leadership on research and treatments for patients with Alzheimer’s," Smith said. "November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, and the briefing today provided an important contribution to increasing awareness in Congress.  I fondly recall that President Ronald Reagan designated the first National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness week in 1982, 12 years before he announced that he had been diagnosed with the disease." Click here to read Smith's full statement on the Congressional Record.

    In addition to the NIA, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, Alliance for Aging Research, Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease, USAgainst Alzheimer’s, and the National Collaborative on Aging participated in the briefing, said Smith. The Task Force now includes 158 House Members, and hosts informational briefings and forums for Members of Congress and their staffs and works closely with Alzheimer’s organizations.