For many Baby Boomers, this is our biggest fear. For others, the disease is stealing our parents prematurely.
Its exact cause is not known, its onset cannot be stopped or reversed and it has no known cure. This disease affects 5 million Americans and nearly 47 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to triple by year 2050.
We’re talking, of course, about Alzheimer’s disease (AD). November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, signed into existence in 1983 by President Reagan. This is a time to recognize those struggling with the condition, as well as to raise awareness about AD.
What Is Alzheimer’s?
First, it’s important to understand that AD is not a normal part of the aging process. It is the most common type of dementia, and it does strike most often after age 65. But Alzheimer’s causes destruction and death of brain cells unlike those associated with normal aging. This devastation leads to memory failure, personality changes and problems carrying out activities of daily living.
Consider these statistics from the Alzheimer’s Association:
• AD is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S.
• 1 in 3 seniors dies with AD or another dementia.
• Someone in the U.S. develops AD every 66 seconds.
• This year, AD and other dementias will cost the country $236 billion.
• In 2015, more than 15 million caregivers provided more than 18 billion hours of unpaid care.
• AD kills more people than breast and prostate cancer combined.
Promising Research
Scientists now recognize the importance of early detection for AD. Early diagnosis provides the best chance for treatment and participation in clinical drug trials, and gives families a chance to plan for the future.
Many risk factors for AD have been identified: people who are obese are twice as likely to have dementia, those with heart disease are at far greater risk for Alzheimer’s, those with diabetes have a 65% higher risk of developing dementia, and high cholesterol increases AD risk by 43%.
What You Can Do
Here are some recommendations based on the latest research to control risk factors for AD:
1) Stay active. Researchers identify exercise as perhaps the greatest modifiable risk factor for AD; one in every five cases of the disease is associated with physical inactivity.
2) Avoid obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
3) Stop smoking.
4) Reduce inflammation with fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and decreasing your sugar intake.
5) Drink moderately if at all.
6) Avoid head injuries.
7) Avoid depression and maintain a purpose in life.
For more information about healthy aging, contact me for a free call. We can discuss some practical tips and discover if any of my programs or classes are a good fit for you.
If you’d like to schedule that call with me, just CLICK THIS LINK, and let me know in the message that you would like a 1-on-1 call with me right away and I will be in touch to schedule that – oh, and leave me your phone number in there too since email is not as reliable as it used to be! Thanks.