November marks National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Whether this disease has affected you personally or you know of someone who is currently a caretaker of someone with the disease, it can be a difficult situation to deal with at times. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s every 69 seconds.
That means that nearly 15 million family member and friends are currently providing unpaid elder care to those with Alzheimer’s and other dementia diseases. The disease also goes beyond just memory loss. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States today.
National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month works to provide the information people need to help better take care of those already diagnosed.
The awareness campaign also provides information for people who may suspect that a friend or loved one may be suffering from the disease. The organization provides a range of resources, from what you need to discuss after a diagnosis to educational programs for those who provide elder care.
When you want to support the efforts of National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, there are a number of things you can do.
The easiest action you can take is a make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association. If you also have some time to give, you can volunteer at your local chapter, participate in fundraisers held throughout the year or volunteer for a clinical trial as a healthy control subject. This is the only way that advancements in Alzheimer’s treatments can be made.
If you are passionate about the rights of Alzheimer’s patients and their caretakers, you can also become an advocate for the cause. You can help to find new ways to speak up for the rights of these patients so they can get better care and their caretakers can get the support they need.
The Alzheimer’s Association runs various activities and fundraisers throughout the year, but puts a special emphasis on getting the word out during the month of November to support all that are going through this disease as well as honoring those who give their time to assist them every single day.
Home care counselors at Safe at Home Healthcare are available to talk with you about your elder care needs including how to reduce caregiver stress while providing better, affordable care, including live-in care. We are an elder care agency providing Home Care in Lisle, IL. For more information about elder care call us at (888) 703-5287.
