Milestones

2007

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Alzheimer’s Association released the first-ever National Public Health Road Map to Maintaining Cognitive Health (Road Map) at the 2nd Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Prevention of Dementia in Washington, D.C. The Road Map highlights the importance of maintaining and improving cognitive health to the overall health of the nation.
The Association partners with MedicAlert to provide MedicAlert® + Alzheimer's Safe Return®, a live 24-hour emergency response service for wandering and medical emergencies.
Mission Focus process established to develop recommendations for future activities to meet the needs of those impacted by dementia.
The Association is hosting a series of Early Stage Town Hall Meetings for people with dementia to voice their opinions and share the experience of having Alzheimer’s disease.
Thanks to Association efforts, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded two of its patient programs to include individuals affected by Alzheimer's in the drug review process.
The Champions Consumer Campaign, the first national effort to dispel public misperceptions and move people to take action in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, was launched in April. The goal is to enlist 5 million Champions – at least one for each person living with Alzheimer’s in the United States.
On Nov. 1, the Association launched Alzheimer's Association CareSource™, a suite of services providing an easy-to-use, one-stop resource for care for a person with Alzheimer's.
Lotsa Helping Hands is a private group calendar to organize family, friends and other helpers for primary caregivers and keep each other informed of status updates.
Senior Housing Finder is the first national online dementia-specific senior housing database. This free resource, powered by SNAPforSeniors®, provides professionals and individuals across the country with an innovative search engine to help them locate appropriate housing options across all types of senior housing, based upon their level of care needs and lifestyle preferences.
Caregiving 101 is a portal to learning options to guide Alzheimer caregivers. These new products join our message boards and CareFinder to comprise CareSource.
Phase 3 of the Dementia Care Practice Recommendations are released at the Association’s Dementia Care Conference. These recommendations deal with end-of-life care for those with dementia.
The Association joins with Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, and the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute to establish the Tomorrow’s Leaders in Alzheimer Disease Research Award to recognize the work of promising M.D. or Ph.D. Alzheimer’s disease investigators who have made pivotal recent contributions to the goal of eliminating Alzheimer’s. The award is modeled on other genius grants, and as such, the prize may be used for any purpose at the discretion of each awardee. The partners will award three prizes of $100,000 each year based on the quality of the applications.
The Association releases the first Facts and Figures report. This report offers numerous statistics that convey the burden that Alzheimer’s imposes on individuals, families, state and federal governments, businesses, and the nation’s health care system.
Evan Thompson becomes the Association’s eighth chairman.

2006

Additional dementia care practice recommendations are issued in the areas of falls, wandering and restraint-free care.
Web-based CareFinder guide launched. This online resource helps people living with Alzheimer's and caregivers make informed decisions when selecting a care provider for home-based or residential care. CareFinder offers ways to recognize good care, communicate effectively with care providers, plan and pay for care, and find local resources.
Early-Stage Advisory Group and Early-Stage Work Group established to focus on the issues of this group.
Association issues an extensive report related to early-onset Alzheimer's disease called Early-Onset Report: A Hidden Generation of Dementia: A National Challenge, A Future Crisis.
Association co-authors Planning for a Pandemic/Epidemic or Disaster: Caring for Persons with Cognitive Impairment. This document is designed as a guide for non-licensed staff and lay people who become involved in direct patient care in long term care facilities.
The Alzheimer's Association is one of 12 organizations nationwide recognized by the American Society of Association Executives for its leadership in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The Association has awarded $2.1 million, its largest research grant, to the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to expand the landmark, five-year PET-scan study.
The Alzheimer's Association awarded a total of about $21 million in research grants. Since 1982, we have committed more than $220 million to best-of-field research proposals.

2005

Lawrence Varnes becomes the Association’s seventh chairman.
Harry Johns joins the Association as President and CEO in September.
The Association celebrates 25 years of leadership in progress and hope on the road to conquer Alzheimer’s and optimize the quality of life for people with the disease and their caregivers
Kicking off the 25th anniversary, Association founders are honored with the Genesis Award at the Chicago Rita Hayworth Gala. The founders are Miriam K. Aronson, Anne Bashkiroff, Martha Fenchak Bell, Rhonie Berlinger, Katherine L. Bick, Bernd Brecher, Robert Butler, Warren Easterly, Carl Eisdorfer, Marian Emr, Bobbie Glaze Custer, Robert Katzman, Leopold Liss, Hilda Pridgeon, F. Marott Sinex, Jerome H. Stone, Donald Tower and Lonnie Wollin.
The first-ever Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Prevention of Dementia in Washington, D.C., made headlines around the world when nearly 1,000 clinicians, physicians, researchers and policy advocates gathered to learn about innovative research, prevention and treatment for Alzheimer's.
The Alzheimer’s Association Education Conference is refocused and debuts as the Dementia Care Conference. The Campaign for Quality Care is launched at the Dementia Care Conference with the release of the Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations for Assisted Living Residences and Nursing Homes providing guidelines for food and fluid consumption, pain management and social interaction. The recommendations, which are backed by 24 leading health and senior care organizations, were developed from the latest evidence in dementia care research and the experience of direct care experts. A training curriculum for the implementation of the practice recommendations was also debuted.
In August, the Association launched its first scientific journal, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Published quarterly, the journal will present the latest original, peer-reviewed, basic and clinical research advances in the field, including early detection, prevention and treatment. Coverage will extend from healthy brain aging to all forms of dementia, and include leading edge material of interest to both the basic scientist and practitioner.
Kicking off the 25th anniversary, Association founding chairman Jerome H. Stone was honored with the Genesis Award at the Chicago Rita Hayworth Gala. Also in attendance were fellow founders Miriam K. Aronson, Anne Bashkiroff, Rhonie Berlinger, Katherine L. Bick, Bernd Brecher, Robert Butler, Waren Easterly, Carl Eisdorfer, Marian Emr, Bobbie Glaze Custer, Robert Katzman, Leopold Liss, Hilda Pridgeon, F. Marott Sinex, Donald Tower and Lonnie Wollin.
The first-ever Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Prevention of Dementia in Washington, D.C., made headlines around the world when nearly 1,000 clinicians, physicians, researchers and policy advocates gathered to learn about innovative research, prevention and treatment for Alzheimer's.
The Association celebrates 25 years of leadership in progress and hope on the road to conquer Alzheimer’s and optimize the quality of life for people with the disease and their caregivers.
Lawrence Varnes becomes the Association’s seventh chairman.

2004

On Feb. 12, the Alzheimer's Association launches a national campaign to change the way Americans think about Alzheimer’s disease. The campaign, which urges Americans to Maintain Your Brain®, kicks off with the report of a survey on baby boomers’ awareness of Alzheimer’s and their perceptions about the future of the disease. Later a workshop is launched on Maintain Your Brain: How to live a brain healthy lifestyle.
The launch of Maintain Your Brain® also marks the change of the Association’s core brandmark and three sub-brandmarks (Safe Return®, Memory Walk®, Maintain Your Brain®). The new “people and science” brand better communicates the dual mission of research and support.
The Alzheimer’s Association begins its $1 million commitment to the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a nationwide, five-year effort to determine whether some combination of brain images, tests of blood and other bodily fluids, and psychological tests may improve ability to identify individuals at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease as well as to measure disease progression and monitor response to experimental drugs.
The Alzheimer’s Association unites nearly 160 organizations representing 65 million Americans to form the Coalition of Hope to raise public awareness of Alzheimer’s disease as a leading public health issue.
Association presents its inaugural “America’s Great Generations Gala” in the nation’s capital on March 24, 2004. First Lady Laura Bush and former First Ladies Rosalynn Carter and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton attend.
Association announces in June that, within a decade, total annual Medicare costs for people with Alzheimer’s will increase to nearly $50 billion. Saving Lives, Saving Money: Dividends for Americans Investing in Alzheimer Research, a study the Association co-sponsors, projects that research breakthroughs could result in a 45 percent decrease in Alzheimer’s cases and $149 billion in annual Medicare and Medicaid savings by 2025.
A concerted effort to conduct outreach activities to the Hispanic/Latino community is begun and includes a Spanish-language portal is established on the Web site, alz.org.
The Association releases a report in May predicting the disease will soar 600 percent among Hispanics by 2050. The report draws swift reactions from major Hispanic groups that join us in calling for change.
The Alzheimer’s Association joins the world in mourning the loss of former President Ronald Reagan 10 years after announcing his Alzheimer diagnosis. The Reagan family designates the Association as one of three official outlets for memorial donations.
Congress appropriates $1.6 million for the Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to educate health professionals and the public on lifestyle strategies to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This appropriation marks the first time the CDC has received funding for an Alzheimer program.
Medicare starts paying for specialized brain scans in some patients to help determine if they have Alzheimer's disease.
The new Alzheimer drug, memantine (Namenda) is launched in January. This is the first in a new class of symptomatic drugs and the first approved for individuals in moderate to severe stages of Alzheimer’s.
More than 1,000 Association-sponsored and unofficial house parties are held across the country in conjunction with January’s PBS broadcast of the Emmy Award-winning documentary, “The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer’s,” hosted by National Board member David Hyde Pierce.

2003

Association reaches $150 million in research grants given out for Alzheimer research.
Research published in the Archives of Neurology estimates 4.5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease and projects a range from 11.2 to 16 million by the year 2050.
Two new Association public service announcements are released. The first features Jeanne Phillips, a.k.a. “Dear Abby.” The second is the first Spanish language release, titled “Happy Birthday.”
Diversity Toolbox is launched on the Web site, alz.org, with culturally sensitive information for Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Korean and Chinese communities. The toolbox is intended for health care professionals to use in improving outreach efforts.
Partnering With Your Doctor is launched to empower consumers to obtain better health care and have more effective doctor visits.
Memantine (Namenda) wins approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in October 2003 as the first drug approved for treatment of symptoms of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s.
The Alzheimer’s Association partners with the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to develop our nation’s largest repository of genetic material from late-onset Alzheimer families.
Association receives a $1 million Administration on Aging grant to fund its nationwide Contact Center.

2002

Richard Kipper becomes the Association’s sixth chairman.
Sheldon Goldberg was hired as president and chief executive officer of the Association.
A new edition of Alzheimer’s Disease: The costs to U.S. businesses is released. It indicates an increase in costs to more than $61 billion, nearly twice the amount calculated four years ago.
New strategic plan is approved to run from July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2005.
"Faces of Alzheimer's" public service announcement featuring David Hyde Pierce is released to support Memory Walk®.
The Research Roundtable is founded. This partnership unites Association science staff and advisors with scientists from pharmaceutical companies, universities and regulatory agencies in a collegial effort to surmount common barriers to progress in Alzheimer research.
President George W. Bush proclaims November National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, 20 years after President Reagan’s initial proclamation.

2001

Alan J. Stone is hired as president and chief executive officer of the Association.
An Association-wide contact center that operates 24 hours a day/7days a week is piloted with seven chapters and the national office starting May 7. The center adds access to master’s level care consultation clinicians.
Federal research funding reaches $520 million, exceeding the Association’s long-standing advocacy goal.
The Association is the only Alzheimer charity listed in Worth magazine’s listing of “100 Best Charities” in America.
Galantamine hydrobromide (Razadyne, formerly Reminyl) is the fourth drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to specifically treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
In response to pressure from the Medicare Advocacy Project, a joint initiative of the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Bar Association’s Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly, Medicare bans discriminatory denial of claims for beneficiaries with dementia.
The Association Board of Directors approves organization-wide standards.

2000

Orien Reid becomes the Association’s fifth chairman.
The Alzheimer’s Association awards $18.4 million in research grants, marking the Association’s total cumulative awarding of grants to more than $100 million since 1982.
The Alzheimer’s Association co-hosts the largest global Alzheimer conference ever, World Alzheimer Congress 2000, bringing together 5,000 of the world’s leading Alzheimer researchers, health care professionals, and caregivers.
During World Alzheimer Congress 2000, President Clinton announces that he is earmarking $50 million in additional funds for Alzheimer research at the National Institutes of Health.
Time and Newsweek magazines run cover stories on Alzheimer’s disease.
Rivastigmine (Exelon) is the third drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifically to treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
New public Web site launches, providing 5 mini-sites with information tailored for specific groups: persons with Alzheimer’s disease, caregivers, health care professionals, researchers, and the media.
A clearinghouse identifying the best chapter programs in a variety of program areas is established on the Association’s Intranet.
Rita Hayworth public education campaign includes radio, television and print public service announcements. The PSAs feature Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of film star Rita Hayworth.

1999

The Alzheimer’s Association actively supports the National Institute on Aging’s Memory Impairment Study — a test of the usefulness of two drugs to slow or stop the progression of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease — as a meaningful step toward preventing the disease.
The Association grants three new Pioneer Awards ($1 million each), including one for behavioral research to Linda Teri.
Scientists develop a vaccine that, when used on mice, appears to ward off and even reduce the plaque deposits commonly found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
The Association releases a study, “Economic Value of Informal Caregiving in the U.S.,” that indicates $196 billion a year is contributed to the U.S. health care system by an invisible health care sector—families and friends who provide care at home for the chronically ill. Caregiving for people with Alzheimer’s is estimated to make up one-third of the total informal caregiving value.
The Association issues a report, “Who Cares: Family Caring for Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease.” Key findings include: Alzheimer caregivers are twice as likely to provide more than 40 hours a week in caregiving as other caregivers, and three-fourths of Alzheimer caregivers are women.
The Association conducts a national customer research study to identify changing needs of Alzheimer families and donors (Tiber Report). This resulted in assembling the first product design teams to analyze and design new services related to care coordination, personalized knowledge services via the phone, publications and the Internet.
A new bipartisan Congressional task force on Alzheimer’s disease is launched by Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Christopher Smith (R-N.J.).
First Alzheimer’s Association National Leadership Conference is held in Nashville. Four hundred chapter and national leaders attend.
Every Association chapter has signed the “Statement of Relationship,” a legal document describing the mutual responsibilities to one another between chapter and national.
Association Women and Alzheimer’s Disease Work Group publishes Evans, D., et al, “Women and Alzheimer’s Disease” in Alzheimer’s Disease and Associated Disorders, October/December 1999, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 187-189.
First Chapter Board President Orientation Program is held in conjunction with the Executive Director Orientation in Chicago.
To build organizational capability and expand access to services, the Association adopts recommendations for organizational realignment. Realignment activities result in 191 chapters at the close of 1999. At the same time, branch offices continue to expand, numbering just under 100 across the country.

1998

New strategic plan approved by the board of directors for the fiscal years 1999-2001.
Association issues its first million dollar research grant, the Pioneer Award for Alzheimer’s Research, to John Trojanowski and Virginia Lee.
Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention Initiative results in a $50 million increase in federal funding for Alzheimer research, bringing total federal commitment to Alzheimer research to over $400 million.
David Hyde Pierce, Emmy-winning costar of television hit Frasier, testifies before Congress to warn of the “ticking time bomb” of Alzheimer’s disease for 14 million baby boomers.
Association issues a report calculating, for the first time, the cost of Alzheimer’s disease to American business — $33.26 billion a year.
“Women and Alzheimer’s Disease” campaign is initiated to educate women about Alzheimer’s disease. It includes television and radio announcements featuring singer Patti LaBelle.
Annual Education Conference is co-sponsored for the first time by a chapter and held in Indianapolis, Ind.
A database of demographic information and intervention details on families served by the Alzheimer Connections Demonstration Program is created. With over 800 entries, this is one of the larger databases of Alzheimer families.
Association holds the first joint meeting of chapter and national public policy staff, as 26 chapters dedicate paid staff to advocacy work in the states.
Association joins the Assisted Living Quality Coalition (a consumer-industry effort) in releasing a proposal for an Assisted Living Quality Initiative to define minimum standards and build a structure to promote quality in assisted living.
Safe Return® celebrates its 5th anniversary and the 40,000th enrollment in the program. Over 3,300 people have been returned after becoming lost. Eight states have mandated Safe Return® training for law enforcement officials.
Association establishes a Medicare Advocacy Project with the American Bar Association’s Commission on the Legal Problems of the Elderly to improve Medicare coverage of care and treatment for beneficiaries with dementia.
A Reagan Institute work group published a “Consensus Report on Molecular and Biochemical Markers of Alzheimer's Disease” in Neurobiology of Aging.

1997

A toll-free number is established for Safe Return® telephone enrollment and information (888.572.8566), and master’s level clinicians begin to answer the Safe Return Incident Line (800.572.1122) for wandering incidents.
National 800 line system enhancements allow next-day fulfillment of materials to callers.
Key Elements of Dementia Care document is finalized and distributed.
Statewide coalition building began with Attorneys General in several states.

1996

Griff Steinke Healy becomes the Association’s fourth chairman.
First program-area training event for chapter staff and volunteers is held in March covering program development, use of volunteers, helplines, support groups and respite care.
Completed caregiver survey quantifies the hardships caregivers face in caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept) is the second drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifically to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

1995

Nancy Reagan records a Public Service Announcement for the Association.
The Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute is established.
First integrated education and program plan is produced.
Alzheimer Connections Demonstration Program provides 15 grants (up to $45,000 each) to help chapters promote family assistance and care planning. These are the largest direct grants to chapters that have been made by the Association to date.
Alois Alzheimer Society is formed to recognize gifts to the Association of $1,000 or more.
First Association Web site is put on the Internet.
Princess Yasmin Aga Khan is voted honorary director and honorary vice chair.
Transgenic mouse models are developed for Alzheimer’s disease, improving researchers’ ability to study the disease. This research is funded in part by the Association.

1994

Federal government approves over $300 million for Alzheimer research ($302 million).
In November, former President Ronald Reagan announces that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Due primarily to a tremendous response to the “10 Warning Signs” campaign, calls to the national 800-line reach an all time high of 142,000.
Alzheimer Disease International (ADI) announces first World Alzheimer Day to take place on Sept. 21.
The Association Board of Directors approves revised strategic plan covering 1994-1998.
Ethics Advisory Panel is created.

1993

Stuart Roth becomes the Association’s third chairman.
First nationwide Memory Walk® is held.
Safe Return® program is launched to assist in the identification and safe, timely return of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease who wander and become lost.
“Is It Alzheimer’s? Warning Signs You Should Know” (10 Warning Signs) awareness campaign is launched.
Tacrine (Cognex) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the first drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
The gene responsible for apolipoprotein E is sequenced. People with certain versions of the gene (E4) have a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. This research is funded in part by the Association.
Logo is modified to emphasize “Association.”

1992

The Association achieves a presence in all 50 states with the approval of the Alaska chapter.
First Association National Alzheimer’s Disease Education Conference for care providers takes place in Chicago July 12-15.
Guidelines for Dignity, standards for Alzheimer specific care, is released at the education conference.
A culturally appropriate video kit, Unidos en la lucha, is produced for the Hispanic/Latino community.
Two medically related newsletters are begun in addition to the national newsletter: Advances in Alzheimer Research is aimed at the general public; Research & Practice is aimed at physicians.
Gallup survey assesses public awareness of the Association and Alzheimer’s disease.

1991

First Association strategic plan is approved for the years 1991-1995.
Benjamin B. Green-Field National Alzheimer’s Library and Resource Center opens at the Association’s national office.
Federal government funds more than $200 million for Alzheimer research ($229 million), marking the first time funding exceeds $200 million.
First Zenith Research Awards are presented, made possible by Zenith Fellows.
Alzheimer’s disease is the cover story in an issue of U.S. News & World Report.
Tau protein is identified as the main component of neurofibrillary tangles, one of the characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease. This research was funded in part by the Association.
Association works with HBO on a special titled “Losing It All: The reality of Alzheimer’s disease.” This special program depicts the emotional, financial and physical demands of caregiving.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration agrees to put Alzheimer drug testing into the accelerated track.

1990

Association opens a Washington, D.C. office.
First Lady Barbara Bush addresses Public Policy Forum attendees.
Zenith Fellows Program, an honorary society of individuals and organizations who commit $1,000,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association, is established.
Alzheimer’s Disease Orientation Kit and the Caregiver Kit, containing both video and print products, are released.
Association initiates the Alzheimer’s Association-Sigma-Tau Foundation Lecture Series (first of three years) with lectures held in Toronto, Canada; Eugene, Ore.; and Milwaukee, Wis.
Walter Cronkite stars in the Association public service announcement “Four Million.”

1989

Richard Gehring becomes the Association’s second chairman; Jerome Stone is named honorary chairman.
Targeted Research Grant Program is created. With the money expended this year, the Association’s cumulative support to research exceeds $10 million dollars.
Association holds its first Public Policy Forum in Washington, D.C. April 2-5.
For the first time, Congress appropriates over $100 million ($129 million) for Alzheimer medical research.
First Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk® is held, with nine chapters participating.
JAMA: the Journal of the American Medical Association, publishes a research paper that reports Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent than previously thought. The revised figures state that approximately four million people are affected.
Association hosts its first minority outreach symposium as part of the 1989 annual meeting.

1988

National Respite Care Demonstration Program, supported by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, begins at 19 national sites.
Action Senior Companion Program starts in nine communities.
Association adopts shortened name (Alzheimer’s Association) and new logo with identifying tagline, “Someone to Stand By You.”
Association publishes the book Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease, What It Is, How to Cope With It and Future Directions. Written by Miriam Aronson, this is one of the first consumer books on the disease.
Association launches a new public service advertising campaign, using the theme, “Someone to Stand by You.” Singer/composer Ben E. King donates use of his song, “Stand by Me,” for the Association’s television and radio public service announcements. Willard Scott serves as National Alzheimer’s Disease Month spokesperson.
The Excellence in Programming Award is created to recognize and share information about chapter achievements.

1987

Edward Truschke is named as president and chief executive officer of the Association.
Jerome Stone is elected founding president and chairman.
The Chicago Rita Hayworth Gala is held for the first time with more than 800 attendees.
Association is asked to assist the National Institute on Aging and the Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical Company in initiating a clinical trial to test the drug THA on Alzheimer’s patients.
The U.S. Office of Technology Assessment publishes the first major government report on Alzheimer’s disease, Losing a Million Minds: confronting the tragedy of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
The gene responsible for amyloid precursor protein (APP) is sequenced. APP is broken down to form the beta-amyloid protein of Alzheimer’s plaques. This research is funded in part by the Association.

1986

System of National Field Representatives established to support chapters.
The Respite Care Manual and Documentation Guide (to document disability for Social Security) are published by the Association.
Provider magazine devotes an issue to Alzheimer’s disease. Many of the articles in this issue are written by those involved with the Association.
Investigator-Initiated Research Grant is established to fund independent research projects.

1985

Association representatives meet near Washington, D.C., at the National Institutes of Health, for the Family Caring Conference.
Rita Hayworth Gala is founded in New York by Hayworth’s daughter, the Princess Yasmin Aga Khan. The first Gala is held at the Pierre Hotel on May 20 and raises over $300,000.
Joanne Woodward and Richard Kiley star in a made-for-TV movie, “Do You Remember Love,” the first contemporary dramatic presentation to focus on the tragedy of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Association produces a documentary film, “Caring: Families Coping With Alzheimer’s Disease.” This documentary looks at the lives of three people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. The film wins a Retirement Research Foundation award.
Patti LuPone records “It’s a Long Goodbye” for the Association to use as a theme song. The song is about a daughter who loses her mother to Alzheimer’s.
The Association and the American Health Care Association sponsor the publication of Care of Alzheimer Patients: A manual for nursing home staff by Lisa Gwyther.
Scientific American publishes an article titled “Alzheimer’s Disease. What is It?”

1984

Thomas M. Ennis is appointed as executive director of the Association.
Association funds 20 research grants as well as the first three Faculty Scholar Awards.
Congress allocates $44 million to Alzheimer’s research and authorizes, through the National Institute on Aging, support of the first five Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers.
Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) is established.
Research reveals the structure of beta-amyloid protein, the sticky substance that clumps to form plaques in the brain that are one of the characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease.
Newsweek has a cover story on “The Agony of Alzheimer’s Disease” on Dec. 3. Forbes has an article the same week.
“Mental and clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease,” an Association co-sponsored work group, is published in Neurology.

1983

Congress declares November as “National Alzheimer’s Disease Month” (NADM) for the first time.
President Ronald Reagan approves the creation of a task force to oversee and coordinate scientific research on Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s Association issues its first “National Program to Conquer Alzheimer’s Disease” before the Select Committee on Aging, calling for a major federal investment in medical research. Congress responds by allocating $22 million for a government-wide effort to find the cause and cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s Association establishes a national 800 telephone line.
National office processes 100,000 consumer requests for information on Alzheimer’s disease.

1982

Research Grant Program is established, awarding seven grants totaling $78,000.
The Autopsy Assistance Network is established.
U.S. Rep. Bill Lowry introduces legislation asking Congress to declare National Alzheimer’s Disease Week. President Ronald Reagan later signs legislation, designating Thanksgiving Week, Nov. 21-27, as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Week.
First public service announcement is produced. Jack Lemmon tells the Alzheimer’s story; Michael Landon directs.

1981

The Association is invited to participate in the Mini White House Conference on Aging, held at the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md.
The decision is made to move the Association’s national office from New York City to Chicago.
First Association annual meeting is held in Chicago in June.

1980

Association is legally incorporated on April 10 as the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc. The first headquarters is in New York City. The 7 founding groups are: Alzheimer Disease Society (New York, N.Y.); Alzheimer Disease Association (Columbus, Ohio); Massachusetts Society Against Senility (Boston, Mass.); Chronic Organic Brain Syndrome Society (Pittsburgh, Pa.); Association for Alzheimer's and Related Diseases (Minneapolis, Minn.); Alzheimer Support, Information and Service Team (Seattle, Wash.); Family Survival Project (San Francisco, Calif.).
“Dear Abby”, syndicated newspaper column, generates more than 30,000 letters to the national office in New York from consumers asking for information about Alzheimer’s disease.
Jerome Stone, Bobbie Glaze Custer and Carl Eisdorfer testify at a joint hearing of the U.S. Senate, chaired by Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton, on Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

1979

Representatives from five family support groups meet to discuss the possibility of forming a national Alzheimer’s association. Members of the groups include Miriam Aronson, Ann Bashkiroff, Warren Easterly, Bobbie Glaze, Dr. Leopold Liss and Hilda Pridgeon. They are joined by Marian Emr from the National Institutes of Health.
The groups, along with Jerome Stone, Dr. Marott Sinex and Lonnie Wollin, meet in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 29, 1979, with Dr. Richard Butler, then the director of the National Institute on Aging, and Dr. Murray Goldstein, acting director of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke, and agree to form a national association.
The first national board meeting of the new Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association is held in Chicago. Officers elected are: president, Jerome Stone; vice president, Anne Bashkiroff; secretary/treasurer, Lonnie Wollin. A medical advisory board was established, and Robert Katzman and Carl Eisdorfer, M.D., Ph.D., are designated co-chairs.

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