Letters to the Editor: April 14, 2022

TO THE EDITOR: During National Volunteer Week, April 17-23, the Alzheimer’s Association is proud to spotlight local volunteers making a difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.

Here in the North Country, Alzheimer's Association volunteers deliver critical support and education, raise funds, and advocate for Alzheimer’s to help achieve our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.

It is vital that we continue to create awareness of Alzheimer’s and engage more community members to consider volunteering. An estimated 6.5 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2022. Here in New York, there are more than 410,000. As the size of the U.S. population age 65 and older continues to grow, so too will the number and proportion of Americans with Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

The number of New York residents living with Alzheimer’s in 2025 is expected to increase to 460,000, a 12.2% increase.

Thank you to all our North Country volunteers. We honor you and all you do to help us with our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and dementia.

MELISSA FISCHLER

Program Manager, Alzheimer's Association Northeastern New York

Saranac Lake

TO THE EDITOR: Politicians are often all talk and no action. But recently a real, positive change was made here in New York, and we can quickly trace it back to the advocacy of our elected representatives.

New York's state budget recently eliminated its burdensome fiber-optics tax, which disincentivized rural broadband buildout and thus hurt rural communities across Upstate New York.

Following the pandemic, access to high-speed Internet has never been more important to so many North Country residents. Now more than ever we desperately need affordable, quality Internet connection to participate in tele-health visits, online school, and more.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Assemblyman Mark Walczyk understood this; they both pushed for the removal of this harmful tax. Congresswoman Stefanik even advocated with the Federal Communications Commission to request an investigation into this harmful practice.

(Possibly) thanks to their continued advocacy, this tax was removed. This was a key step taken to help allow further broadband buildout in our rural communities.

Thank you Representative Stefanik and Assemblyman Walczyk for your work on this important issue. Because of your advocacy, more North Country families are on the way to having access to affordable, high-speed Internet.

IAN CLARK

Canton