United States Rep. Kathleen Rice is introducing legislation to help people with early onset Alzheimer's and other diseases through an expansion of the Older Americans Act.
Rice say current restrictions make it difficult for people with degenerative diseases under age 65 to get access to services like in-home care.
"We all talk about it in Washington, what we're going to do to enable people to keep their loved ones at home so they don't have to be institutionalized," Rice said in Westbury.
Tori Cohen, executive director of the Long Island Alzheimer's Foundation, says more people are being diagnosed with Alzheimer's at an earlier age.
"This is an exciting day for all organizations and families that are dealing with this disease," Cohen says.
Brandon Henley, whose father had early onset Alzheimer's, says the change would have benefited his family.
"My mother had to fight even harder for certain benefits and programs to help make sure my father was taken care of," he says.
There's currently no clear timetable for the bill.