Most of us really do want to see a cure found for for diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. However, since most people don’t have the time and resources to throw their weight fully behind every health campaign, they tend to back issues that affect them on a personal level. Increasingly, that issue is Alzheimer’s.
As a seasoned family caregiver, I’ve been a primary caregiver to four elders with four different types of dementia, though only one would likely have been diagnosed as Alzheimer’s. However, since Alzheimer’s is the most well known and–likely the most common form of dementia–my writing about dementia soon brought me face to face with Alzheimer’s in a big way.
In my work, I’ve contributed to a book on Alzheimer’s that was published in the UK, interacted with many professionals in India who are helping Alzheimer’s patients and reviewed books and research published in Canada. Since I’m US-based but work from a computer, I wasn’t wholly aware, until lately, of geographical range my contacts represent.
World Alzheimer’s Month has made me think more deeply about these ties.
Alzheimer’s risk factors: age is the leading culprit
While age is the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, we have recently read about regular people, as well as celebrities such as Lady Vol’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, who have been diagnosed with early onset dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Alzheimer’s is considered early onset if it’s diagnosed before age 65.
However, an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is not welcome news at any age. The longer we live, the greater our risk of developing AD, and as a whole, worldwide, we are living longer than in the past. Therefore many of us will be at risk, if not in our 50s and 60s, then in our 70s and 80s. At this time, our only defense seems to be to take good care of our general health, so please concentrate on a healthy diet, exercising your body and challenging your mind. If you have a healthy heart and a quick brain, you should enjoy life that much more. And you may–just may–escape an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Raise awareness by treating your body right, perhaps volunteering your time to help someone with AD–or their caregiver–and donating money to Alzheimer’s research if you can. Meanwhile, ongoing research should one day present us with drugs or supplements that will allow us to manage and eventually cure AD.
When that day arrives, we will surely have something to celebrate worldwide.
Posted in Alzheimer’s, Dementia | No Comments »Tags: Alzheimer’s, awareness, Dementia
