The push to bring an Alzheimer's research center to Oklahoma: 'Hope for families'

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Oklahoma State Sen. Mark Mann is working to bring a national Alzheimer's research center to the Sooner State, as the Alzheimer's Association's latest fact sheet shows more than 70,000 Oklahomans age 65 and older are currently living with the disease.

Nationally, more than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. In Oklahoma, an estimated 135,000 residents provide unpaid care to loved ones with Alzheimer's or other dementias — totaling about 226 million hours of care each year, valued at nearly $4.8 billion. Alzheimer's and dementia-related Medicaid spending in the state has climbed to $692 million.

Cameron Decker, Oklahoma Government Relations Director, said catching the disease early could yield significant long-term financial benefits for the state.

"The stats that we have say that if we can catch the disease in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease rather than mild cognitive impairment stage of the disease, then the long-term care savings over that individual's lifespan is going to be $63,000," Decker said.

A news conference that lasted nearly an hour and a half brought together caregivers and advocates to share their stories and sound the alarm on a growing crisis — including that more than a quarter of Alzheimer's caregivers experience depression while caring for their loved ones.

Debbie Elliot, a Broken Arrow Alzheimer's advocate, described the devastating generational toll of the disease on her own family.

"My beautiful mother-in-law, Margaret, lived with dementia for 15 years. Her father lived with dementia and all three of her siblings lived with dementia. So that is five people across two generations in one family," Elliot said.

Sarah Ocanas of the OU Medical Research Foundation said that while treatment options for dementia have historically been nonexistent, new advances are finally offering families hope.

"But now with FDA-approved treatments, these anti-amyloid treatments and, in addition, new treatments going into clinical trial every single day, there is really the opportunity and kind of hope for families that at least we can potentially slow this disease," Ocanas said.

Mann said it is not a matter of if, but when, Oklahoma will secure this research for the Sooner State.

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