I’m writing to express my passionate plea to help make Alzheimer’s disease a priority in Maine.

According to the State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Maine, 53,000 individuals in Maine will be living with Alzheimer’s by 2020 and along with them will be the thousands of unpaid family caregivers like myself. I left the workforce for eight years to care for my mom. I saw firsthand how this disease changed my mom’s personality, stole her memories and finally took her life.

It is for this reason I became an Alzheimer’s advocate. I just returned from Washington, D.C., where over 1,200 advocates from across the nation attended the Alzheimer’s Association AIM Advocacy Forum.

I met with Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King and staff from Rep. Chellie Pingree’s office to discuss vital legislation to combat this devastating disease. I was so thrilled to hear that Maine’s full delegation supports additional funds for research as well as the BOLD Act, which will create an Alzheimer’s public health infrastructure, and the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act.

I urge your readers to join the fight by becoming an advocate or participating in one of the Walks To End Alzheimer’s this September and October by visiting www.alz.org/maine.

Jacqueline Guerin

Sanford