State Rep. Dan Miller organized a symposium dedicated to Alzheimer’s and dementia Thursday afternoon in Mt. Lebanon. More than 50 community members gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills to discuss challenges and hear speakers from the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Allegheny County Health Department, as well as the thoughts and experiences of local caregivers.
Alzheimer’s disease is the seventh leading cause of death in Allegheny County, according to 2020 data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
In 2023, Allegheny County was one of 43 health departments to receive federal funding from the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act. The objective of BOLD funding, allocated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is to create a public health infrastructure nationally to address dementia. The county is receiving funding for a total of five years — the first two years focused on capacity building and developing a strategic plan, followed by three years of funding to implement that strategy. A final plan should crystalize by October 2025.
James Weeden, the chronic disease and injury prevention program manager at the Allegheny County Health Department, stressed that the funding will serve as a much-needed accelerant to dementia research, treatment, and awareness in the county. A lack of public awareness, Weeden argued, leads many residents to believe no preventive measures exist to avoid the disease.
“We need to treat Alzheimer’s more like diabetes or heart disease,” Weeden said.
A shortage of dementia specialists and medical attention to the issue is another hurdle highlighted by Sara Murphy, vice president for programs and services at the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter.
“We understand that there are challenges in getting access to a specialist to get a diagnosis because of the lack of specialists we have in our state. I mean, we have only 273 geriatricians in Pennsylvania. As we think about the growing population in Pennsylvania, we know the need is great,” Murphy said.
During a panel she moderated with two local caregivers of family members who battle dementia, Murphy also pointed out that the lack of a conclusive diagnosis for family members can cause undue stress and additional health issues for caregivers themselves.
Jennifer Lingler, who directs outreach, recruitment, and education at the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, spoke to attendees about recent scientific developments.
Lingler mentioned promising biomarker research, which may eventually allow dementia detection to be conducted as part of a routine blood panel. While that technology is not fully realized, Lingler also expressed optimism about two new drugs, donanemab and lecanemab, each available through IV injection, which have been shown to modestly slow progression of the disease. She warned that the preconditions for using these drugs excludes many from treatment.
Lingler, who has also done significant research on racial disparities in Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment, said the lack of widely generalizable data remains a concern.
“The most pressing challenge that we have is identifying participants or research volunteers who look like the people who are most likely to be susceptible to the disease,” Lingler said, referring to Black and brown community members who are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's and other dementias than their white counterparts.
“Our struggles with inclusivity and research are probably the greatest challenge that we face in developing real world solutions.”
The symposium also provided opportunity to reflect on government efforts to address the disease. Miller mentioned Senate Bill 840, which creates a statewide office and advisory committee on Alzheimer’s and related disorders. It passed the House on Wednesday and now heads to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk.
Miller praised the increased attention on Alzheimer’s and dementia on state and federal levels, but said more needs to be done to keep the issue atop the agenda.
“The real challenge is how impactful the services and coordinated information can be not just for counties, but also for nonprofits and the private sector who are engaged in the work, and for the people and the families at home that are impacted,” Miller said.
