Activities of Elena Oana ANTONESCU related to 2010/2084(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European initiative on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias - Asthma inhalers (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT Report on a European initiative on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias PDF (190 KB) DOC (119 KB)
Amendments (28)
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas it is estimated that 35.6 million people worldwide will be living with dementia in 2010 – and that this number is estimaxpected to nearly double every 20 years, to 65.7 million in 2030,
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the number of people suffering from neurodegmenerative diseasestia in Europe is estimated to be 8.67.3 million, with Alzheimer’s accounting for the vast majority of those cases; whereas neurodegenerative diseases represent one of the main causes of disability in the elderly, and whereas the number of people suffering from these diseases is expected to rise dramatically by 2020, owing to increased life expectancy and a decreasing ratio of workilack of social life among tohe retired populations,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas, according to the World Alzheimer Report for 2009, Europe accounts for over 28% of the total number of persons suffering from dementia, placing it second only to Asia (with 35%), while of all the world's regions western Europe has the highest proportion of sufferers (19%),
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the population of Europe is ageing, with persons aged over 80 constituting the fastest-growing cohort in most European countries, and whereas dementia is therefore expected to be one of the main challenges for social and healthcare systems, including informal care and long-term care facilities, in the coming decades,
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas some two-thirds of sufferers from the diseases in question live in less developed countries, and whereas this proportion will increase thanks to the low standards of living in the regions concerned,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are one of the main causes of incapacity and dependence among old people,
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas the consequences of dementia are both social and economic, affecting all health systems in the Member States,
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. whereas in order to anticipate the economic and social impact of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, it is necessary to invest in scientific research and efficient approaches to care systems,
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G g (new)
Recital G g (new)
Gg. whereas Alzheimer’s and the other forms of dementia should not be perceived as a normal problem faced by individuals as part of the ageing process without them being entitled to suitable treatment, medical assistance and specialised care,
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G h (new)
Recital G h (new)
Gh. whereas the overall approach to the problem is still the wrong one, involving the stigmatisation of those affected (both patients and their relatives), which leads to their social exclusion,
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas, although social awareness and scientific knowledge of Alzheimer'’s disease have increased dramatically in the past 20 years, underlining in particular how the disease is characterized not only by clinical dementia but also by the onset of pre-dementia earlier in time, therapeutic options are still limited to symptomatic drugs, and diagnosis is still largely based on individual physician experience and subjective judgement,
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H g (new)
Recital H g (new)
H g. Whereas the development of effective disease-modifying agents (as opposed to purely symptomatic agents ) represents an area of critical and urgent unmet need for patients with Alzheimer’s disease,
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls on the Council and Commission to take account of the concept of dementia when preparing future actions in the area of preventive health policy, notably in relation to its interaction with cardiovascular illnesses, mental health, physical activity, education in the field of health and new technologies,
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Calls on the Member States to provide EU citizens with lifestyle information with a view to delaying or preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, promoting the concept of 'a healthy lifestyle for a healthy brain';
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2e. Calls on the Council and Commission to act to raise public awareness in the Union concerning dementia, facilitating recognition of the early symptoms of dementia with a view to early diagnosis and the corresponding treatment and appropriate support,
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 g (new)
Paragraph 4 g (new)
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 h (new)
Paragraph 4 h (new)
4h. Urges the Member States to develop policies for facilitating access to research funding in the field of dementia and Alzheimer’s, including research into prevention, on a basis proportionate to those illnesses' economic impact on society;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points to the importance of a multidisciplinary approach on ways in which cooperation and coordination in the field of research at European level can improve knowledge, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and social research into the welfare of patients and their families and carers; believes that early diagnostic tests, research into risk factors and criteria for early diagnosis are crucial; this being the case, sees clear added value in conducting large-scale epidemiological and clinical studies in transnational collaborationrecommends that representatives of patients, healthcare organisations and medical-service providers be involved in this process;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Regards early diagnostic tests, research into risk factors and early diagnosis criteria as crucial; this being the case, sees clear added value in conducting large-scale epidemiological and clinical studies on the basis of transnational cooperation; regards the European Health Examination Survey, which will be able to provide valuable information, through its cognitive test module, on the number of people with early-stage cognitive deficiencies, as equally important;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Calls on the Member States to develop long-term policies and action plans in the field of care and prevention which anticipate and address social and demographic trends, and to focus on the support provided to the families of patients for whom they are caring, thereby affording social protection to vulnerable persons suffering from dementia;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls on the Member States to develop action plans aimed at improving the well- being and quality of life of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and that of their families;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Paragraph 7 f (new)
7f. Urges the Commission, the Council and the Member States to consider establishing safety standards applicable to institutions specialising in care for the elderly, to the communities to which they belong and to home care arrangements;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the importance of psychological support for patients and their families; emphasises the importance of combining the psychosocial approach to ageing with the results of medical and biomedical research; advocates the need for research in the fields of the health economy, social-humanistic aspects and non-pharmaceutical approaches to treatment, in order to gain an understanding of the psychological, economic and social aspects of dementia and to promote the use of existing technologies (e-health, ITC, assistive technologies, etc.);
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10d. Calls on the Council, the Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States to consider mainstreaming the ‘dementia dimension’ into European policies on flexible working time, into similarly flexible European pensions policies and into measures concerning elderly people under the European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)
Paragraph 10 e (new)
10 e. Encourages Member States and the European Commission to develop new policy-based incentives to facilitate the dissemination of information and market access strategies for innovative therapies and diagnostic tests addressing the current unmet needs of patients with Alzheimer’s disease
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 k (new)
Paragraph 11 k (new)
11k. Emphasises the scale of the medical costs entailed by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and that it is important to find viable solutions which take into account: the direct medical costs (comprising health system costs: specialist costs, medicinal products, medical examinations and regular check-ups); the direct social costs (comprising the cost of formal services outside the medical system: community services, home care, provision of food, transport, and placement of patients in specialist residential centres for the care of the elderly, where they can receive medical assistance); and informal costs (comprising the costs associated with reduced productivity in the event of a prolongation of working life, and loss of output as a result of early retirements, leave for medical reasons or death);
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 g (new)
Paragraph 12 g (new)
12g. Calls on the Council, the Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States to foster the autonomy of persons with dementia and promote their dignity and social inclusion through the action plan in the field of health, and to provide information on best practices in the field of respect for the rights of the vulnerable and combating the mistreatment of dementia patients;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 h (new)
Paragraph 12 h (new)
12h. Calls on the Commission and the Council to foster the development, in connection with the implementation of research projects, of partnerships between public institutions and between private and public institutions, thereby harnessing facilities, resources and experience in the private and public sectors to combat the effects of Alzheimer’s and of other types of dementia;