Alzheimer’s continues to afflict Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. Experts say state leaders still aren’t doing enough.

Alzheimer’s continues to afflict Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. Experts say state leaders still aren’t doing enough.

Texas ranks second in the nation for Alzheimer’s deaths and third in prevalence: 460,000 people have the disease and 1.1 million more are their caretakers. But the state’s lack of funding for memory care and support, along with its ongoing refusal to expand Medicaid, is making matters worse.

Alzheimer’s Continues to Afflict Texas’s Rio Grande Valley. Experts Say State Leaders Still Aren’t Doing Enough. - Public Health Watch

The sun had barely risen over Austin, Texas, on a brisk February morning, but Gladys Maestre’s mind had been at work for hours. She’d spent the night — and the flight from her home in the Rio Grande Valley — rehearsing what to tell state lawmakers about the epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease sweeping through Texas.  The day before, Maestre had spoken to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick alongside a team of biomedical researchers from the Texas Medical Center. T…