2011 Alzheimer's Association Advocacy Forum

With newly elected leaders in Congress, it is more important than ever that our messages about the Alzheimer epidemic get heard. We need passionate Alzheimer advocates to come to Washington, D.C., to lend their VOICE to the cause.

Join us in our nation's capital May 15-17, 2011, for the Alzheimer's Association Advocacy Forum – become educated about the issues, learn new skills, network with fellow advocates and take our message directly to members of Congress to fight for our legislative agenda.

"I am going back this year! I met amazing, motivated people and had a life changing time. It is such an awe-inspirring time to be in an already beautiful place. To be able to make a difference, speak up... fight... I highly recommend this forum!"

—Advocate Suzette Armijo

2010 proved to be an outstanding year for Alzheimer advocacy. We saw:
•  The historic passage and signing of the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA).
•  The inclusion of younger-onset Alzheimer's disease in the Social Security Administration's compassionate allowance program.

•  The first-ever inclusion of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in the government's Healthy People 2020 report.

•  Detection of cognitive impairment included as a mandatory part of the new Medicare annual wellness visits
•  More than 112,000 petition signatures collected through the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Ride urging Congress to make Alzheimer's disease a national priority.

Each of these major victories, together with all important wins that have happened around the country on a state and local level, would not have been possible without the commitment and action of you, the Alzheimer advocate.

But even as we celebrate our successes, we still have much work ahead to ensure we build on this momentum to lead our country toward overcoming the Alzheimer crisis. The Alzheimer's Association Advocacy Forum is the premier experience to learn how we can continue to successfully advocate for these issues.

This year's Forum will be held May 15-17, 2011, in Washington, D.C. We have a program that is designed to help you hone your advocacy skills — not just for your visits on Capitol Hill, but also as you return home. You will learn about our legislative priorities, our critical messages and how to deliver these messages to key decision makers. You will learn about how to engage your local legislators and how to use a wide variety of resources in your communities to encourage more people to join with us as Alzheimer advocates.

I look forward to seeing you in May as we celebrate our recent victories and redouble our efforts to secure the Association's mission of a world without Alzheimer's.

Karen Kauffman
Advocacy Forum Chair