With age, most of us will notice changes in our memory or thinking. But while forgetfulness is a normal part of getting older, dementia – and Alzheimer’s disease specifically – is not.
Alzheimer’s disease impacts people from every walk of life. It knows no cultural or social boundaries. The main factor influencing who gets Alzheimer’s is age. One in eight people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease – about 5 million of us – yet only half of these people have actually been diagnosed with the disease. The rest don’t even know they have it! And it’s estimated that by 2050 as many as 16 million of us will have Alzheimer’s.
These are pretty frightening statistics don’t you think? Visit aboutalz.org to view more short films like this and increase your understanding of Alzheimer’s
Source:Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures report details the growing prevalence and escalating impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia on individuals, caregivers, families, government and the nation’s healthcare system.
Since there is no treatment, doctors wonder if they should tell people, years earlier, that they have the disease, or a good chance of getting it.
To a casual observer, the articulate and groomed Ms. Popkin seems perfectly fine. She is in the vanguard of a new generation of Alzheimer’s patients, given a diagnosis after tests found signs of the disease years before actual dementia sets in.
But the new diagnostic tests are leading to a moral dilemma. Since there is no treatment for Alzheimer’s, is it a good thing to tell people, years earlier, that they have this progressive degenerative brain disease or have a good chance of getting it?
“I am grappling with that issue,” Dr. Rafii said. “I give them the diagnosis — we are getting pretty good at diagnosis now. But it’s challenging because what do we do then? Curious? Continue reading
Learning how Alzheimer’s spreads is the brain critical for finding future treatments—especially if science continues to pursue an effective vaccine against Alzheimer’s. Wouldn’t it be great if at that time of birth or very short time afterward if there were a vaccine, an active vaccination that will protect us? Curious? Continue reading?
