SCR 75: Alzheimer’s Disease and Brain Awareness Month and The Longest Day.

WHEREAS, The month of June 2025 has been declared Alzheimer’s Disease and Brain Awareness Month to help educate the public on this debilitating disease, increase efforts to combat its human and economic costs, and encourage all Californians to take charge of their brain health; and

WHEREAS, The summer solstice, June 20, 2025, has been declared The Longest Day, with people around the world fighting against the darkness of Alzheimer’s disease by coming together to honor the strength, passion, and endurance of people with this diagnosis through a day of activity and advocacy on the day with the most light; and

WHEREAS, California has 720,000 residents living with Alzheimer’s disease, more than any other state in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease was the second leading cause of death among adults in California in 2022, as stated in the State Public Health Officer’s recent report on the 2024 status of public health; and

WHEREAS, Recent research published by the State Department of Public Health in 2021 indicates that, over the next 20 years, the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia will increase dramatically. While the population of California will expand by 16 percent, the population of people living with Alzheimer’s disease will expand by 127 percent; and

WHEREAS, Research on the expansion of people living with Alzheimer’s disease showed communities of color will shoulder a disproportionate share of the increase in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease. The number of Latinx or Hispanic Californians living with Alzheimer’s disease will nearly triple by 2040. Additionally, the number of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living with Alzheimer’s disease will more than double; and

WHEREAS, Californians with dementia will visit emergency departments nearly 1,000,000 times per year and are readmitted to the hospital one out of five times after discharge; and

WHEREAS, Alzheimer’s disease is a family disease, impacting 1,373,000 California spouses, partners, children, siblings, grandchildren, and other relatives who provide unpaid assistance to a loved one; and

WHEREAS, California caregivers devote approximately 1,800,000,000 hours of unpaid assistance to family members, valued at over $44,200,000,000 in nongovernmental financial support; and

WHEREAS, Disparities in detection and diagnosis persist, resulting in less than 50 percent of individuals affected by the disease receiving a formal diagnosis that is disclosed to them by a clinician and documented in their medical record; and

WHEREAS, On average, a person 65 years of age and older lives 4 to 8 years after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, but may live as long as 20 years, depending on other factors; and

WHEREAS, Age is the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, which has no proven way to prevent it and currently has no cure; and

WHEREAS, Californians invest in Alzheimer’s disease research through the voluntary contribution funds and have raised more than $25,000,000 since its inception for research into treatments to slow the progression of, and develop a cure for, the disease; and

WHEREAS, Individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers need acknowledgment, support, and services to meet their needs over the lengthy progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares June 2025 as Alzheimer’s Disease and Brain Awareness Month, recognizes Friday, June 20, 2025, as The Longest Day, and urges all Californians to commemorate the month of June 2025 as Alzheimer’s Disease and Brain Awareness Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.