New card for Alzheimer’s disease victims in France kicks off major health initiative
March 6, 2008
A new card has been issued to Alzheimer’s disease patients in France. The card, for “health and emergency care” especially for Alzheimer’s patients is something between an identity card and a health document. It is part of a plan to help the Alzheimer’s sufferers in France and their families deal with the disease.
The card, which is confidential and must be ordered in writing by the primary care physician, is intended to help patients get better and more appropriate treatment in the case of emergencies, when they might not be able to communicate their own needs. One flap of the card will have the patient’s vital statistics as well as contact information for their primary care physician and next of kin. Another part of the gate-folded card contains information for Alzheimer’s sufferers and those close to them, detailing “golden rules” on how to handle different aspects of the disease.
The card is in response to a report made to President of France Nicolas Sarkozy in November 2007 by Joel Menard as part of an effort to create better solutions for dealing with the thousands in France diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, new funding for research and treatment centers in France dedicated to the study, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease was also announced.
Sarkozy affirmed at the time of the unveiling of that five-year plan that this was a long-term personal commitment on his part, citing his pledge during his presidential campaign to do everything he could to eradicate Alzheimer’s disease in France. In his speech, Sarkozy said: “France wants to help the fight against Alzheimer’s within 10-15 years, as the disease is among those whose evolution can be staved off. In a few years, patients’ suffering will be nothing like that of today, and perhaps we can eradicate Alzheimer’s altogether.”
French Minster of Health Roselyne Bachelot then asked the French Ministry of health to work in collaboration with The Alzheimer’s Association of France and with professionals and health specialists in the disease to develop the “Alzheimer’s disease health and emergency care card”, the first health measurement of the sweeping Alzheimer’s plan in France. The introduction of the new card in France marks the first of the new Alzheimer’s initiatives to be put into practice in France.
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder. It is the leading cause of loss of autonomy among elderly people, though a small number of people afflicted are younger. It is estimated that 1.3 million in France alone are expected to suffer from Alzheimer’s by 2020. Studies warn that the number of French cases could reach 2.1 million by 2040.
Speaking about Alzheimer’s disease last summer, Sarkozy was quoted as saying: “To fight this illness is a challenge. It has nothing to do with left or right-wing politics. All governments over the next 30 years will be confronted by it.”
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