Activist looks for support in fight against Alzheimer’s
JACKSON, Tenn. — As a volunteer, Amy Gammel has experienced firsthand how Alzheimer’s affects an individual.
Gammel’s aunt was diagnosed with it in 2005 and suffered a near 10 year battle until she died in 2015.
She strives to continue to fight for not only her aunt, but others suffering with the disease.
“This was a whole new disease for me. I really didn’t know a whole lot about it, and I wanted to be as educated as I could be about the disease to help my aunt in her battle with it,” Gammel said.
Gammel went to Washington DC to rally for support from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, calling to change stipulations to require Medicare and Medicaid to cover the new Alzheimer’s treatment Aducanumab and Lecanemab.
Both are FDA approved. But to access the treatment, it’s $26,500 out of pocket.
“The FDA does their job to do the research and make sure the science is there, the results are there, the science is there, so there’s no reason that Alzheimer’s patients shouldn’t be entitled to the same care as somebody who has heart disease or cancer has,” Gammel said.
On April 4, Gammel and others with the association plan to go to Nashville to speak directly to state lawmakers about gaining support for the fight against Alzheimer’s.
“It’s my goal to keep the Colonel Thomas Bowden bill funded. It will run out. It’s a respite care program and the three year pilot will be done in 2025, but its critical for Alzheimer’s caregivers,” Gammel said.
There are around 120,000 people living with Alzheimer’s in the state of Tennessee, and more than 360,000 caregivers.
According to alzheimers.org, Tennessee has seen a 244% increase of Alzheimer’s deaths since 2000, ranking the state as the fourth highest Alzheimer’s death rate in the United States.
“Caregivers, a lot of the time, are not given proper rest or not getting proper nutrition because they’re staying up all night, caring for their loved ones. And this bill provides money to, hopefully, 225 families throughout the state of Tennessee,” Gammel said.
Walk Against Alzheimer’s is an annual event that takes place at various cities to bring awareness to the disease.
But after feedback from members and people who wanted to participate, Gammel realized her community needed a walk of their own.
That’s when she created the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in her hometown of Halls. This year’s walk will be on August 12 on Main Street.
If you or someone you know needs help or a listening ear, you can call the Alzheimer’s Hotline at 1-800-272-3900.
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