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As the U.S. population continues to age, more Latinos and all people will face memory loss because of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Fortunately, every year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updates its National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease to adopt new strategies to support communities impacted by Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
This year, HHS is seeking direction from clinicians, researchers, caregivers, and families on what areas to focus on to address dementia through 2035.
Submit a Salud America! model comment to tell HHS to help improve Alzheimer’s health outcomes for Latinos and all populations by supporting clinical trials, programs, and investments that make a difference.
Comments are due Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026.
Submit This Comment to HHS to Improve Alzheimer’s Health Outcomes
Dear HHS Leaders,
As you know, the U.S. population continues to age and Alzheimer’s disease cases are expected to double by 2060, with a heavier burden among Latinos (https://bit.ly/4xfPYxG).
Thus, I believe the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease should be careful to incorporate three important actions: improve access to Alzheimer’s clinical trials for all people, reduce the caregiving burden, and increase investment in dementia research.
Action 1: Improve Access to Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials for All People
Participants in clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease should reflect the U.S. population.
But when trials lack representation, it makes it harder for researchers to address dementia data gaps and ensure new therapies and interventions work for all people.
For example, Latinos only account for about 5.6% of Alzheimer’s clinical trial participants, despite representing 20% of the U.S. population (https://bit.ly/4wBpS8q).
To help enroll overlooked populations in clinical trials, HHS should increase investment to eliminate hurdles to participation, such as transportation restrictions, language limitations, and lack of trust in the health care system.
We must also improve clinical trial education by increasing trial awareness through tailored and linguistically appropriate communications and use community health workers to help engage hard-to-reach populations.
Action 2: Reduce Alzheimer’s Caregiving Burden
Being a caregiver for a person with Alzheimer’s takes an enormous physical, mental, emotional, and financial toll.
This is especially true in the Latino community where caring for a parent or loved one is expected, like for Carlos Olivas (https://bit.ly/3rCYpXw) or Thomas Brittain (https://bit.ly/473k7UL).
To reduce the burden on these caregivers, the HHS should support the creation of more caregiver support programs, back research on the caregiving burden to better serve caregivers, and invest in solutions that help caring for those with Alzheimer’s more affordable.
Action 3: Invest in Alzheimer’s Research Studies
Research can help us understand the causes and risks of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
When we better understand causes and risks, we can identify solutions and interventions to reduce the impact Alzheimer’s has on all people (https://bit.ly/45AUivD).
To accomplish this, the HHS should incentivize and expand research being done to understand the impact of Alzheimer’s on hard-to-reach populations, create and fund more research centers that engage in studying populations often left out of research, and invest in universities training future researchers on population health aging issues.
I ask that you ensure these priorities are reflected in the HHS National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease to help current and future Americans impacted by the disease.
Thank you for working to improve the lives and health of all people.
Why Is Alzheimer’s Disease Important to Address?
The number of aging Americans is projected to rise from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050, representing a 42% increase, according to the Population Reference Bureau.
This sharp increase puts millions of people at risk for aging diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Currently, 7.4 million Americans aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s dementia, according to the 2026 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report from the Alzheimer’s Association.
By 2060, that number is projected to increase to 13.8 million.
The increase includes many Latinos, who are 1.5 times more likely than white Americans to develop the disease, according to the report.
This inconsistency is driven by non-medical drivers of health factors, such as lack of access to health care and insurance, lack of access to healthy foods, and lack reliable of reliable transportation, leading to chronic disease and a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
What Is the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease?
The National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease was created under the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA).
The first plan was released in May 2012, according to the Federal Registrar.
It was designed to set up a national strategy focused on Alzheimer’s disease.
As part of its creation, HHS works together with other federal agencies and meets with a council of experts to update the national plan each year.
With input from the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services, HHS releases an annual plan update to help steer efforts to improve research, brain health care, caregiver support, and more.
Among the plan’s goals is to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s, enhance care quality, expand support for caregivers, increase awareness, and reduce dementia risk.
Since it began, the plan has helped allocate more money to Alzheimer’s research, created Alzheimer’s research centers, and supported the building of a national public health infrastructure, according to the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement.
Despite having yearly updates, this latest iteration of the national plan seeks to cover a more comprehensive list of new and emerging priorities through 2035, according to the federal regulations posting.
That’s why the HHS is asking the public to reflect on progress while looking ahead to identify new tools, interventions, and establish priorities for the future of Alzheimer’s care and research.
Public input is critical because it gives federal officials information about the potential impact of a proposed regulation or plan, according to Unidos US. Participating in the rulemaking process allows you to shape federal programs and the rules that govern.
Once the comment period ends, HHS will review recommendations and revise and release the updated plan publicly.
Because there will be no update to the plan before 2035, the updated plan that arises from the comment period will set the tone for a lot of future federal Alzheimer’s initiatives, support, programs, and more.
Stay Informed About the Latest Alzheimer’s Research
There are still so many unknowns when it comes to Alzheimer’s.
Researchers are hard at work learning how different factors impact someone’s risk for Alzheimer’s and how to support patients and caregivers.
Stay informed about the latest Alzheimer’s research efforts by visiting the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Population Aging and Social Studies (CAPAS) website at UT Health San Antonio.
Led by Drs. Rebeca Wong and Fernando Riosmena, CAPAS seeks to bring together multidisciplinary groups of experts and research networks in demography, sociology, AD/ADRD epidemiology, neuropsychology, public health issues, and experience conducting longitudinal studies for AD/ADRD research and Latino aging.
“By combining our strengths, we can address Alzheimer’s disease from every angle — from molecules and biomarkers to families, neighborhoods and communities,” Dr. Wong told UT San Antonio Today.
CAPAS is one of 16 NIA-funded centers tackling aging health issues across the US.
Register and sign up to receive the latest updates on the aging health issues impacting your community and check out the latest health resources for aging adults!
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