Alzheimer’s advocacy group to speak at Iowa Capitol

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – It’s the start “funnel week” at the Iowa Capitol, and lawmakers have until Friday to get their bills out of legislation. With a deadline to move bills along in the legislative process, advocates are traveling to the Capitol to speak with lawmakers.

One group visiting the capitol Monday morning is the Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. They will be speaking in support of two bills the group says would improve healthcare for Iowan’s with Alzheimer’s.

One bill, Senate Study Bill 3001, would increase access to biomarker testing by putting the test under insurance coverage. Biomarker tests are used to determine if a person will develop Alzheimer’s in their life. The group says the sooner people are diagnosed, the more likely they are to be treated.

“The majority of the times when someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease it’s already at a moderate to late stage where the current treatments now available will not have a positive effect,” Doug Bickford, executive director for the Alzheimer’s Association Iowa Chapter, said.

The other, Senate File 2008, would add six dementia service specialists to Area Agencies on Aging facilities across Iowa. This would help to generally help keep Iowan’s informed about the disease and give more opportunities for consultation.

The group will be meeting at the capitol this afternoon, with speeches from advocates and chapter members.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.