Director's Message November 11, 2021

This is a special month that recognizes the incredible work of people who roll up their sleeves to care for someone they love who cannot care for themselves. November is also Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, which raises awareness about the disease and provides support to the people living with or caring for someone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

It is fitting that both observances occur this month, as many caregivers provide care to loved ones with Alzheimer’s. It is important we recognize and acknowledge this selfless and often difficult task.

Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. It accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. According to our Geriatrics and Extended Care data reports projections for Fiscal Year 2022, there will be more than 450,000 veterans living with Alzheimer’s disease, of whom more than 250,000 will be enrolled in the VA health care system and almost 168,000 will receive services. Our agency is committed to stand by these veterans and their families. We are committed to helping find both short-term and long-term treatments that will help us defeat this disease. 

We provide a full range of support services for veterans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, from home-based primary care to hospice care. VA is also funding cutting-edge research to understand how the disease works in hopes of finding ways to stop it, including exploring new ways to identify early signs using light or understanding how gene manipulation could prevent it.

Meeting our commitment to help veterans with Alzheimer’s is not possible without their caregivers. While we provide support resources and services, they handle the incredibly difficult day-to-day work of caring for Veterans.

Our commitment to stand by caregivers extends beyond Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Our comprehensive VA Caregiver Support Program provides a multitude of resources and services to caregivers who interact with our health care system across the country.

Join me this month in thanking caregivers for all they do to care for all our veterans – especially those suffering from Alzheimer’s. 

If you or someone you know is a caregiver who needs immediate assistance, please call our VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274.

So to all our caregivers, thank you for all you do to care for our Veterans.

One Team, One Ohana!

Adam M. Robinson, Jr., MD, MBA, CPE
Director, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System
VADM, MC, USN, (RET)
36th Surgeon General, USN

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