June is National Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

Every June, Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month is observed, as a way to spread the word about and discuss Alzheimer’s disease and other brain health diseases. Worldwide, more than 55 million people are living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Throughout the month, the Alzheimer’s Association encourages people to support the movement by wearing purple and training their brains to fight the disease.

5 Facts About Alzheimer’s That You Didn’t Know:

• An estimated 55 million people around the world are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and if that change doesn’t come by 2030, this number will grow to roughly 76 million.
• A person develops Alzheimer’s disease in the United States every 65 seconds.
• In the United States, more than 16 million people take care of family or friends with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
• Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. 6.2 million of those living with Alzheimer’s disease are over the age of 65.
• Alzheimer’s or other dementia kills one in three seniors. This is more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

How To Observe National Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

• Get Screened
  • The National Memory Screening Program allows you to answer a list of questions to see if you or someone you may know, may potentially have Alzheimer’s Disease. Check with your provider to get a thorough evaluation.
• Take a Memory Walk
  • The Alzheimer’s Association sponsors memory walks nationwide. These walks are a great way to raise funds and support both the care of patients and the research that goes in to fighting this disease.
• Donate
  • Your money is a critical aspect in helping fund research that goes into curing these deadly brain diseases. Funding also helps develop new medications to help slow the effects of the disease.

Important Things To Remember About Alzheimer’s and Other Brain Diseases

• You Can Lose Your Sense of Smell
  • People with Alzheimer’s Disease often lose their ability to smell – which is often times the first early sign many people report having.
• Drink Your Coffee
  • A team of French and German researchers have discovered that caffeine and coffee may play a role in delaying memory decline.
• Linked to Heart Disease
  • Heart disease can play a role in heightening your Alzheimer’s risk, due to the vascular dementia stemming from a narrowing of blood vessels in the brain, caused by low levels of oxygen.
• Treatment Costs Are High
  • In 2050, it is estimated that the cost for treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease will balloon to a whopping $1 trillion dollars.