The Utah chapter of the Alzheimer's Association wants to get Utah residents involved in the National Alzheimer's Plan now being created, and has scheduled hearings to collect comments.

The meetings will be on Wednesday in Clearfield and Salt Lake City and Thursday in Orem. Association officials seek feedback that will be presented to officials of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

On Jan. 4, President Barack Obama signed the National Alzheimer's Project Act, which will create a national strategy to overcome the Alzheimer's crisis, including the coordination and evaluation of research, clinical care, institutional, and home- and community-based programs.

As many as 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, including about 32,000 in Utah, the Alzheimer's Association says. The disease accounts for about 70 percent of all degenerative dementias.

The number of people with Alzheimer's is projected to climb to 16 million by 2050 if efforts to curb the disease fail. Alzheimer's, the sixth leading cause of death in the nation, is the only one in the top 10 causes that lacks prevention, cure or even a way to slow its progression. —

Meetings planned

Wednesday

1 p.m. • Clearfield Senior Center, 42 S. State St.

5 p.m. • The Center for Alzheimer's Care, 650 Komas Drive, Conference Room 154, Salt Lake City

Thursday

10 a.m. • Mountainland Area Agency on Aging, 600 E. 800 North, Orem

For more information • alz.org/napa