Did I Mention That January Is Alzheimer’s “Do Not Forget” Month?
January 11, 2011; By: Audrey Miller
All About Estates
Lest I forget to mention it, January is Alzheimer’s awareness month.
With one in three seniors over age 85 having dementia, many families are dealing with this diagnosis. Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning—thinking, remembering, and reasoning—to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s activities of daily life. The issue of capacity, the issue of planning and the issue of providing care, are all issues that must be addressed, under the general heading of Dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is considered to be the underlying cause of 60-80% of all dementia cases, there are other conditions that cause dementia. Treatments vary and having a clear diagnosis is an important first step? While there is still no cure, treatments can delay the onset of symptoms which for the caregiver in this partnership, can make the difference between being able to provide care at home and the need to move into an alternate care setting.
While Alzheimer’s disease is more often seen among those in the 80’s plus years, younger adults can be diagnosed with early onset birthdays before their 65th birthday.
The Alzheimer Society (www. Alzheimers.ca) estimates by 2038 that one person will be diagnosed every 2 minutes with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia.
Take the quiz.
Find out what you can, donate what you can. A cure has yet to be found. If you have concerns about your own memory and/or symptoms and behaviours of a loved one, speak to your doctor.
Did I mention that January is Alzheimer’s month?
Leave a reply
