Monday, August 15, 2011

Proposal

A Proposal
To help us find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease while providing continuous care and support to Georgians and their families during their journey through the stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s Association
Until we discover a cure, our Chapter continues to successfully serve the 200,000 Georgians living with Alzheimer’s, along with their families and caregivers. Based on performance ratings, our Programs and Services are consistently used as a national model. Innovative breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research were made in 2008 dubbing this, ‘The Year in Alzheimer Science’. Among our most successful advocacy efforts is our implementation of ‘Mattie’s Call’ – a standard operating procedure for missing persons with dementia or other cognitive impairment. These advances could not be accomplished without supporters like yourself. We ask you to consider a gift of $10,000 to help us continue gaining ground as we uncover a cure.


Programs and Services
Our Chapter’s Programs and Services are consistently ranked among the best he nation by our peers and the individuals we serve. We remain the lead organization in Alzheimer’s care and support by providing resources to patients, families, and caregivers through our 131 support groups, and 12 Caring Closets around Georgia. We counsel individuals at no cost, guiding them to accessible medical care, medications, and even housing. Partnering with search and rescue dogs, our team has found a missing person in less than 1.5 minutes after arriving at the scene. During 2009, more than 77 individuals were reunited with their families using our Medic Alert + Safe Return program. As the influx of Georgians developing Alzheimer’s increases, your assistance becomes increasingly imperative.

Advocacy
In 2009 alone we lobbied for the passing of legislation allowing the state of Georgia to better identify individuals suffering with Alzheimer’s, restored Alzheimer’s respite care cuts, and sponsored legislation to prevent abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult with dementia or other cognitive impairment. Legislature was passed to ‘compassionately streamline’ social security applications from an Alzheimer’s individual, consequently phasing out the 24 month waiting period. Our 4,500 Georgia advocates will continue lobbying for positive legislature change with assistance from our donors.

Alzheimer’s Research
We remain the largest private funder of Alzheimer’s research worldwide. As a result of breakthrough advances in research during 2008, applicants for our Research Program rose by 48 percent. Among our advances, scientists uncovered indicators for early detection, new genetic and lifestyle risk factors, and a better understanding of the disease process. Our achievements can only be ensured with support from donors like yourself. With assistance, Alzheimer’s research will continue developing prevention methods, finding treatment options, and eventually discovering a cure.

Our Structure
The leadership of the Alzheimer’s Association Georgia Chapter includes Peter Armstrong; Chairman of our Board of Governors, and Leslie Anderson; President and CEO. Our seven regional offices are sustained by 30 dedicated staff and more than 10,000 volunteers across the state.

Conclusion
After three decades of leadership, the Alzheimer’s Association is determined to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. In this critical time we are optimizing breakthroughs in research and advocacy to aid those individuals with Alzheimer’s and their family. No single strategy will suffice, but with your support, we will continue to make progress. We thank you for your consideration and look forward to our future partnership.