Center for American Progress

: A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s
Past Event


A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s


10:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT

The Center for American Progress and the Alzheimer’s Association invite you to attend a forum on the impact Alzheimer’s has on families, the economy, caregivers, and especially women. The panel coincides with the Alzheimer’s Association and First Lady of California Maria Shriver’s October 15 release of The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s, the largest study ever conducted to look at the effect of Alzheimer’s disease on American women as people with the disease, caregivers, and breadwinners.

The report comes on the heels of the 2009 Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything, conducted in partnership with the Center for American Progress, that examined the historical trending of women into the workforce and the failure and opportunity of government, business, and media to adapt to how families live and work today.

Click here for more information on A Woman’s Nation and related content.

Opening Remarks:
Maria Shriver, First Lady of California (via satellite)
Kathryn Romney, individual living with Alzheimer’s disease

Panel 1: Women and Alzheimer’s: A Burgeoning Epidemic and Its Disproportionate Impact on Women as Caregivers and People with the Disease

The 2010 Shriver Report explores the impact of Alzheimer’s on the American woman and how she manages what an Alzheimer diagnosis introduces into her life –either as an individual with the disease or as a caregiver for a loved one with the disease. Women are at the epicenter of the burgeoning Alzheimer’s epidemic, and bear the bulk of the burden of caregiving, which takes a significant financial, emotional, and physical toll. This panel will look at the broad impact of Alzheimer’s on women and society, review findings from a new landmark nationwide poll on women and Alzheimer’s, and the possibilities for legislative action.

Panelists include:
Angela Geiger, Chief Strategy Officer, Alzheimer’s Association
Mary Mittelman, Dr.P.H., Director, Psychosocial Research and Support Program, NYU Center of Excellence on Brain Aging; Research Professor, NYU Langone Medical Center Department of Psychiatry
Linda Tarplin, Co-Founder, Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC

Moderated by:
Olivia Morgan, Managing Editor, The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s.

Panel 2: The Economic Costs of Alzheimer’s and an Elder Boom: The Price Paid by Governments, Families, and Employees and Employers Alike, and What Can Be Done About It

Over the past generation, a seismic change has occurred in the family and work roles of American women, which has changed the way families provide care. Two-income families are now a necessity; women represent nearly half of the U.S. labor force; and four in ten mothers are now primary breadwinners for their families. This sea change in our culture calls for a reexamination of the roles men and women play at work and home. Alzheimer’s takes an emotional toll on families, but it also presents real economic challenges as families try to manage their caretaking responsibilities in a context where caretakers are also breadwinners.

Panelists include:
Robert Egge, Vice President of Public Policy, Alzheimer’s Association
Ellen Galinsky, President and Co-Founder, Families and Work Institute
Dr. Toni Lewis, Chair, SEIU Healthcare
Terrell McSweeny, Middle Class Task Force, Domestic Policy Adviser to the Vice President
Ann O’Leary, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; Executive Director, Berkeley CHEFS

Moderated by:
Heather Boushey, Senior Economist, Center for American Progress