Miss Queens calls on Congress to support Alzheimer’s patients at risk of COVID-19

Miss Queens, Ashley Marie Davis, is advocating for inclusion of protections for dementia patients in the next stimulus package. Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association of New York City

By Rachel Vick

A Queens beauty queen is shining a light on the disproportionate rate of COVID-19 deaths among people with dementia — one of the main comorbidities intensifying the risk from the coronavirus.

Ashley Marie Davis, the reigning Miss Queens, is joining the New York City chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association in urging Congress to include legislation that helps those affected by dementia in the fourth federal relief package.

Davis and other advocates are specifically championing the Promoting Alzheimer's Awareness to Prevent Elder Abuse Act, the Improving HOPE for Alzheimer's Act, increased funding to support nonprofits and availability of care planning education through Medicare.

After earning the Miss Queens crown, Davis embarked on a year of service to honor the memory of her great-grandparents, who helped raise her.

Both great-grandparents had advanced dementia at the time of their death, and her great grandfather became a victim of elder abuse as his Alzheimers progressed

“My Poppy was one of the most giving & thoughtful people on the planet,” Davis wrote on Instagram. “In his mind he thought he was doing something good, by giving to an organization ‘in need.’ However, he was taken advantage of by someone that knew they could get away with it at the end of the day.”