Political Quotes

“as we begin the month of May, which we are just 2 days in now, and our Nation's observance of Older Americans' Month, I come to the floor to speak on a topic that is very close to my heart, and that is Alzheimer's disease. Like so many Americans, I have felt the impact of this disease. I lost both of my parents to Alzheimer's disease pretty close to the same time. Our family--my brother and my sister and I--helped to care for them. I understand the difficulties that caregivers and families have as they are trying to figure out how to face this difficult challenge because this disease is devastating, especially to the patients and their loved ones. My father passed away in January of 2015, just 1 day after I was sworn in as a U.S. Senator. My mother, Shelley, passed away just a few months beforehand, in September of 2014. There is not a book that has yet been written that can tell you what to do when a loved one is diagnosed because each case is different, and there is no magic formula, but I feel strongly that we can do much more to help our caregivers, to ease the pain of those who suffer from this disease, and, most importantly, to find a cure. The statistics surrounding Alzheimer's are staggering. Over 5 million Americans are living with the disease, and it is estimated that as many as 16 million will have the disease by 2050 if medical breakthroughs do not slow or, better yet, cure this disease.…”