Texans Vote to Lead the Fight Against Dementia
Growing Skills, Growing Team, Growing Impact
Texas is poised to become a global leader in dementia research. On 11/4, Texas voters said “yes” to Proposition 14. The proposition authorizes up to $3 billion in funding over ten years to support research and development into ways to prevent, treat or even cure dementia-related diseases. The measure will establish the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), funding early-stage, innovative research in biomedical and neurological science, supporting neuro-technologies and fostering collaboration between Texas universities, hospitals and research centers.
The DPRIT is modeled after the successful Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), which voters approved in 2007. CPRIT turned Texas into a global leader in cancer research. The Texas Medical Association supported Proposition 14, noting that it will attract physicians, neuroscientists and innovators from around the world and strengthen Texas’s role as a hub for medical innovation.
The proposition addresses an urgent need. Texas is growing older faster than the rest of the nation, and is one of three states that has the highest estimated number of older residents who are at risk of Alzheimer’s. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, more than 450,000 Texans over age 65 are currently living with Alzheimer’s. The economic toll is also staggering. Across the United States, the annual cost of dementia care, including health care, long-term care and hospice, was estimated at nearly $360 billion in 2024. By 2050, that figure is projected to reach $1 trillion.
But the financial impact tells only part of the story. The most frightening part of dementia is losing the essence of who you are. Losing the memories that define your relationships, your history and your identity.
At Cambridge Caregivers, we see that loss every day. We see the pain on family members’ faces as the disease takes their loved ones from them. Some of us have also experienced this pain with members of our own families.
We also see how, even with the best care, dementia devastates families—emotionally, financially and physically. That’s why we are joining the fight by participating in fundraising events like the Alzheimer’s Walk and why we take such pride in the ongoing dementia training all our caregivers receive so that we can step in to care for dementia patients and offer their loved ones some respite. Cambridge Caregivers thanks Texans for voting to take a leading role in fighting one of humanity’s cruelest diseases.