The USC Keck School of Medicine presented Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) with a certificate of recognition for her “outstanding leadership to improve the lives of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias.”

The certificate was presented by Dr. Helena Chui, chair of the Department of Neurology at the USC Keck School of Medicine, during the school’s one day conference about dementia. The event brought together medical professionals, health care providers and clinical researchers in the greater Los Angeles area who provide care for persons with Alzheimer's disease and associated disorders. Keynote presentations and small group workshops provided participants with the latest information related to dementia diagnosis and treatment. The conference also provided an overview of health disparities in dementia diagnosis and care, and on communicating across cultures.

The conference was sponsored by The USC Memory and Aging Center, College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and The Keck School of Medicine, Office of Continuing Medical Education of the University of Southern California and in collaboration with the: Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center; Alzheimer’s Association, California Southland Chapter; and the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging.

The congresswoman made the following remarks:

“It is truly humbling to be recognized in the presence of this distinguished panel of guests and organizations who, on a daily basis, work tirelessly to improve the health, well-being and productivity of older adults affected by dementia disorders.

I commend the USC Memory and Aging Center for sponsoring this sixth biennial “Many Faces of Dementia” conference and the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center and the California Southland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association for their support of today’s event.

I also take this opportunity to commend Dr. Bill Vega and the Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging for their dedication to advancing the best quality of life for low-income and multiethnic seniors.

Equally as important, I commend each of you in this room for your work and commitment to meeting the unique needs of persons living with dementia, especially those in our underserved and minority communities.

As an elected official, I also extend to you my gratitude and appreciation for your ongoing leadership and advocacy in support of increased funding for research, prevention and quality care initiatives so essential to improving the welfare of older adults.

With excessive cuts being proposed in Washington, D.C. for agencies such as NIH, your involvement now is more critical than ever before.

To ensure continued advances in research, prevention and enhanced quality of life, there must be an on-going partnership between you, the experts in the field, and we, the elected officials, who make the policies. Without your input those policies can unintentionally hamper your ability to succeed.

And succeed we must. As I’m sure you heard earlier, Alzheimer’s by itself cost our country $172 billion in 2010.

With the incidence of this progressive and devastating disease expected to rapidly increase as a result of an aging population and longer life-spans, the pressure Alzheimer’s alone places on our health care system is unsustainable.

Not to mention the human tragedy of suffering, heartache and financial burden so many families face as the disease robs their loved ones of the opportunity to enjoy their golden years in health and security.

I pledge to you my continued commitment to work with you to secure the funding needed to conquer dementia and to eliminate health disparities in dementia diagnosis and care, so every individual affected by this devastating disease is afforded the best possible quality of life.

Again, I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation for today’s recognition and I wish you the best for a successful conference on the “Many Faces of Dementia.”