The Gap

I just came home from the grand opening of the Byrd Alzheimer’s Research Center and Research Institute here in Tampa. I’m excited to have great research going on in my back yard, and I’ll write more about it soon.

Then I turned on my computer to check on Had a Dad, Bert Piedmont’s blog about her dad’s dementia. Her father was taken to the hospital last weekend after he became violent. Bert says he is drugged, restrained and not getting the care and meds he needs. For a variety of (silly) reasons, she and her family have been unable to get him into the appropriate care facility.

There’s still a big gap between the promise of new research for the coming years and the reality of dealing with dementia minute by minute. I remember how much this gap frustrated me when my father was alive, and I know Bert must be sick about it.

With the state of Florida in budget-cutting mode, the Byrd Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute faces major funding cuts. This problem isn't isolated to Florida - funding for Alzheimer's research is scarce worldwide. Doesn't look like we'll close the research-reality gap anytime soon.

Comments

[Hattie]

I think we'll all face what you are facing. I watched my mother take care of her father. It is a loving but big job.