Welcome to my Alzheimer’s Awareness page. This site is dedicated to all of those who suffer from this disease and those who love and care for them.
Alzheimer’s first entered my life in the early 1990’s when my great-uncle, a Korean War Veteran, developed the disease. His wife, my great-aunt (whom I was close to), was his sole caregiver and eventually caring for her husband with the disease took its toll on her and she succumbed to a heart attack passing away even before he did. Due to inadequate care services for people with this disease he had to be placed in a facility where he eventually passed away as well. What struck me at the time was that this tragedy could have been averted or at least minimized had there been more services and assistance for him and his family.
Years later (in the mid-90’s) I took training to be a CNA and part of that training included Dementia Care. The fact was, the medical field was starting to realize that Alzheimer’s was becoming more prevalent in our society due to medical advances helping people to live longer and also to the fact more and more in our society are getting older. To be sure, this is a disease that primarily affects the elderly. The statistics were startling. 50% of people 85 and over develop this disease. In just a few decades 50% of people would be nearing that age. And there was simply not enough services in place to cope with the impending crisis. Over the years I’ve cared for many with this disease. To say that Alzheimer’s is becoming epidemic is not an exaggeration.
Today there are more services for those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. But it’s still not enough. It is my hope to provide inspiration, information, and comfort to those who stumble across this page who either know someone with the disease or just know little about it.
SOME STATISTICS:
The Alzheimer’s Association states that there are currently 5.3 million individuals who suffer from this disease and that every 70 seconds someone develops it. It is currently the seventh leading cause of death. These numbers will increase dramatically over the next few decades as the majority of our population (Baby Boomers and Generation X) becomes elderly. You can read about this here: Alzheimer's Facts and Figures
SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms include memory loss (up to and including time, place, and people, resulting in these individuals not knowing the date and time, where they are or how to get somewhere, or who they’re talking to), difficulty completing even the most routine tasks, difficulty with problem solving and planning (which might include following recipes or balancing a check book), mood swings, personality changes, etc.. Go here to read more about the common symptoms of Alzheimer’s: Know the 10 Signs
RESOURCES:
Here are some sites that offer resources, guidance, etc., on coping with Alzheimer’s (Note: all links open in a new window.):
Thanks for taking the time to visit this page. I hope this site has blessed you. There is a links section (coming soon) below where you can go to other sites that offer even more information and help. Please be sure to visit them. Thank you.
