(TRENTON) – To promote public awareness for the value of early detection and condition of Alzheimer’s, Assembly Democrats Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson), Annette Chaparro (D-Hudson), and Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) sponsor legislation approved Monday by the Aging and Senior Service Committee.
The bill (A-2632) would require the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) to establish an Alzheimer’s awareness and education program. The program would be comprised of a public campaign, educational material, educational programs for those who may respond to individuals with the disease, and a list of current service providers.
The DOH would consult with the Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to make information, in English and Spanish, available on the Department’s website. The goal of the website is to take complex information and explain the symptoms and treatments in a way that is easily understandable for the general public.
Assembly members Mukherji, Chaparro, and Vainieri Huttle issued the following joint statement following committee approval of the legislation:
“There is often a lack of awareness about the challenges those confronting this condition endure. This bill is a step towards educating the public on a disease that effects 190,000 people in New Jersey.
“As the most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer’s comes with many difficulties that ultimately result in the need for around-the-clock care. The number of people suffering from this disease is projected to rise a great deal before 2025 , and we need to inform people about Alzheimer’s in a way that is detailed yet comprehensible.
“An Alzheimer’s diagnosis can lead to hardships for the person suffering from it and their families around them. This initiative can help to alleviate some of the distress and prepare people with more knowledge about the value of early detection and available treatments.”