6 Charles J. Fuschillo, J. C} A FA President & Chief Executive Officer ® ALZHEIMER'S FOUNDATION OF AMERICA April 30, 2015 ‘The Honorable Mark Warner 475 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Warner: On behalf of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), a nonprofit organization that unites more than 2,300 member organizations nationwide with the goal of providing optimal care and services to individuals confronting dementia, and to their caregivers and families, I am writing in support of the Care Planning Act. Such legislation is necessary and vital to ensure that people in the end stage of Alzheimer’s disease are treated with dignity and respect, and have a high quality of lie in their final days. By establishing a new transitional care benefit through hospice for Medicare beneficiaries, your legislation will ensure individuals living with dementia and their families have access to new valuable end-of-life services, including: palliative care consultation services; care planning services; counseling for individual and family members; discussions regarding the availability of supportive services including information on advanced directives and other end-of-life planning tools; encouragement of patient-centered care; family conference services; respite services; and caregiver training. For the millions of Americans with Alzhcimer’s disease or a related dementia, advance directive planning services are essential. The Act allows eligible beneficiaries and their family caregivers to receive the information they need about advance directive and other end-of-life planning tools directly from their physicians. In addition, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and hospice programs will be required to provide the opportunity to discuss the general course of treatment. Such services will not only help improve quality of life, but will also help to reduce the stigma and fear of facing end-of-life issues in general In addition, the bill empowers the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create Web-based materials on this topic as well as to establish end-of-life home-based service, training and education grants specifically for faith- based organizations. For individuals in the end stages of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias and their family caregivers, faith-based services, training and support can make a world of difference in an otherwise isolating situation, As the face of care for individuals and their families who are affected by Alzheimer's disease, AFA is appreciative of your leadership on this most important issue and proud to support the Care Planning Act. Please let me know how we can help in advancing this important legislation through Congress. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 866-232-8484, or Eric Sokol, AFA’s vice president of public policy, at 202-643-9601 President & Chief Executive Officer 322 Eighth Avenue,7th Floor, New York, NY 10001 (866) 232-8484 Fax: (646) 638-1546 wwwalzfdn.org,