Every month brings us an “awareness month” of some type. September was World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. October was, among other things, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now, November is here. November is National Caregivers Month, National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and, of course, National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

Alzheimer’s research is underfunded

Working to raise Alzheimer’s public profile is paramount to ensure funding levels for research continue to increase. According to neurologist John Morris, based upon the costs of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, research for Alzheimer’s is under-funded. In an interview with Science Watch, Morris notes:

“For every $100 the government spends on Alzheimer’s research, it spends more than $25,000 for people with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Awareness, in the form of education, helps drive contributions to organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association and spurs caregivers and family members to contact their Congressional representatives to vote for increased funding.

Raising Alzheimer’s awareness is important

As the aging population rapidly increases, keeping up with their needs means enormous costs. According to a recent study conducted by the MetLife Mature Market Institute, the almost 10 million Americans who will provide care for their aging parents could lose up to $3 trillion (wages, pension, and Social Security benefits) to do so. The study pegged the average lifetime losses for women at over $320,000 for women and approximately $284,000 for men.

So, my friends, please don’t consider this just another “awareness month.” Finding a way to prevent or cure Alzheimer’s disease is vital to reducing the financial burden of caregiving. The numbers tell the story. We can’t live in denial. Alzheimer’s research must be a national priority, if not for the human factor, then for the economic side of the issue.

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Tags: Alzheimer's disease, awareness