State-Funded Alzheimer's Research Offers Hope
by Clint Hackney

03.07.2007

Until six years ago, my life was pretty much defined by my work, my friends, and my love of baseball.  Then my Dad died unexpectedly.
            My sister and I knew there would be a painful grieving period, that life would change somewhat, and that there would be adjustments to make.  But we had no clue to what extent things would change – not because of Dad's passing, but because my Mother’s world was slowly becoming unrecognizable to her.
            Suddenly forced to deal with all the responsibilities of day-to-day life, Mother had difficulty making even the simplest of decisions. She couldn't decide whether to open the mail or not, or if she should pay the bills today or tomorrow.  When we noticed she could no longer use the oven or operate the television remote, we got a referral for a medical diagnosis.
            At the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, my sister and I watched in disbelief as Mother tried – and failed – to draw the face of a clock and could not repeat the three words she was asked to recall. We left knowing that she was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
             Our experience is not unique.  More than 200,000 Texans are living with Alzheimer’s today – a condition that seriously impacts their family members, emotionally and financially.  
            Seven of 10 Alzheimer’s patients are cared for at home, without the benefit of state or federal assistance.  And while my family is lucky enough to have the means and assets to deal well with this lingering disease, that is not true for the vast majority of the 4.5 million families in this country who struggle to care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.
            Nursing home care averages between $40,000 and $50,000 a year in Texas, according to the Texas Health Care Association, leaving families looking for light at the end of an agonizingly dark tunnel.
            Today, Alzheimer’s research offers the potential for hope – and we are blessed to have some of the world’s top Alzheimer’s researchers working in Texas. 
            In 2005, the 79th Legislature took the unprecedented step of approving the first state appropriation for Alzheimer’s research in Texas history – $2 million for the 2005-07 biennium.  In that one stroke, Texas was positioned among the top tier states competing for external research dollars.
            The Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, of which I’m a member, endorsed using the state’s $2 million to create a large, standardized database to facilitate Alzheimer’s studies at the four institutions making up the Texas Alzheimer’s Research Consortium.
            These are Baylor College of Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
            The state-funded Alzheimer’s database already includes clinical and demographic data from 5,000 research subjects.  Researchers are using DNA and blood-tissue data taken from 500 Alzheimer’s patients and 100 controls to try to determine how genetics contributes to the age at Alzheimer’s onset and to what extent inflammatory changes in the blood affect onset of this disease.
            It is critical that the State of Texas increase its support for Alzheimer’s research this session.  With $4 million spread over the next two years, the Texas Alzheimer’s Research Consortium could propel Texas to the forefront of Alzheimer’s research.
            With this level of funding, the Consortium could recruit additional research subjects and study how genetic factors relate to Alzheimer’s progression and risk of developing the disease. Important research questions, raised this biennium but not funded, could be explored – such as the relationship of insulin imbalance, depression and hormonal factors on Alzheimer’s disease.
            For now, I make the four-hour drive from Austin to Lufkin as often as I can to sit and hold Mother’s hand.  She has not been able to talk for several years, can no longer walk, and cannot remember many people.
            Governor Perry has designated February 6, 2007, as Alzheimer’s Awareness Day in Texas.  On behalf of those who can’t, we must remember what is most important and commit to fund Alzheimer’s research that could lead to improvements in diagnosis, patient care, and quality of life.

Clint Hackney is a government relations lawyer in Austin and Washington, D.C.  He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1980-88.

the compassion to care, the leadership to conquer