6.2 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s. That number’s projected to double within the next three decades. National Alzheimer's Disease Month is a vital awareness call, to encourage research to achieve increasingly effective dementia treatments, and ultimately find a cure to end the suffering.
What is National Alzheimer's Disease Month
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressively regressive condition, both with its cognitive decline and the growing number of people impacted by it. In 1983 when President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, less than 2 million Americans had Alzheimer’s. Today, the number of people with the disease has surpassed 6 million.
Alzheimer’s progression is also aggressive. This form of dementia is the most prevalent, accounting for up to 80 percent of diagnosed cases. It’s commonly described as manifesting memory loss symptoms, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes that are significant enough to interfere with daily life. Though it’s much more impactful than that.
As a person’s mental capacities fade, so does their personality, and with it the way they relate to others. Their friends and family are often startled by the victim’s gradual disappearance of self. It’s as if loved ones become strangers as the decline progresses.
The disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the US.
Alzheimer's Disease Month is based on raising awareness of the disease’s attributes, identifying them, and guiding caregivers to available treatment and support. There is a lot of assistance and inspiration tagged with #WhyIGoTeal, featuring the designated awareness color of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA). The organization chose teal due to its psychologically studied effects as a calming color, a much-needed attribute benefitting those struggling with the disease.
To join the campaign and raise awareness through local activities and social media interaction, see the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America event page. Make Alzheimer's Awareness Month the time to evaluate how you manage inpatient and outpatient dementia treatment. Behavioral health-based electronic records management systems (ERM) can automate your way to better care while providing a welcoming experience for caregivers. All while reducing redundant documentation and workflows, saving time and money. See how these systems work.
Alzheimer's Statistics
The Alzheimer’s Association’s Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures guide revealed the following statistics about Alzheimer’s in the United States:
- Every 65 seconds someone in the US develops Alzheimer’s, bringing the current total of those afflicted to over 6 million.
- A forecasted 14 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s over the next 3 decades.
- 1 in 3 seniors dies from Alzheimer’s or a related form of dementia.
- Unpaid caregivers, predominantly family, and friends of those suffering supplied 18.4 billion hours of care, valued at over $232 billion.
- The estimated lifetime cost of care for someone living with dementia is $341,840.00
- An economic sign of urgency: early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s could potentially save the country $7.9 trillion in aggregate cost.
Alzheimer's Patient Caregiver Support
The best way to honor caregivers is to equip them to care for their loved ones, while they take care of themselves.
These programs for caregivers provide strategies and tools to aid family and friends to help them to help their person struggling with Alzheimer’s. They contain insight into the condition and ways to address health and comfort throughout the stages.
These guides cover:
- Early-Stage Alzheimer's Life — Families face new issues as they adjust. This program provides practical answers to often-asked questions.
- Middle Stage Alzheimer's Life — Care partners now become hands-on caregivers. This series features both peers and professionals discussing helpful strategies to supply safe, effective, and comfortable care.
- Late-Stage Alzheimer's Life — At this juncture, caregiving typically involves new ways of connecting and interacting with the person with the disease. This series features caregivers and professionals relaying resources, monitoring care, and ways to make meaningful connections.
- Effective Communication Strategies — Decode the verbal and behavioral messages delivered by someone with dementia through strategies to help connect and communicate at each stage of the disease.
- Awareness and Responses to Dementia-Related Behavior — Addresses common triggers for behaviors associated with dementia. It covers how to assess the person’s needs, and how to intervene effectively.
- Dementia Dialog: Driving, Doctor Visits, Legal and Financial Planning, and More — How to have candid and caring conversations about common concerns when someone begins to show signs of dementia.
- Money Management — This series addresses the costs of caregiving and the benefits of early planning, avoiding financial abuse and fraud. This starts the necessary conversations to assess fiscal and legal needs, and where to find support.
President Joe Biden issued a Proclamation on National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month.
