June is Alzheimer’s & brain awareness month. It was declared by the Alzheimer’s Association in order to raise awareness across the globe regarding this disease which slowly gnaws away the patient to death.
June was declared the Alzheimer’s & brain awareness month to showcase support to a million of people across the globe who are living with this brain condition or any other kind of dementia.
This commemoration is also to recognize the doctors, nurses, and caregivers’ efforts in supporting and providing the patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia relief and medical care.
The Alzheimer’s Association states, “the more people know about Alzheimer’s, the more action we inspire.”
A recent survey declared that in every three seconds someone across the world develops a brain condition leading to dementia. There are almost 50 million people in this world who are currently dealing with this disease. The most alarming part is that according to a recent census, by 2050, almost 132 million people across the world will be suffering from dementia or any type of dementia.
Let’s have a look at some facts about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia to understand better why it is important to spread the information regarding this disease.
Facts about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Dementia is known to be a brain condition that affects those parts of the brain which are known to control thought processes, language, and memory. On the other hand, Alzheimer’s disease is known to be the most common kind of dementia.
The chances of a person acquiring Alzheimer’s disease increase with age and this is definitely not normal. The normal process of aging does not include Alzheimer’s disease. Most of the people who develop Alzheimer’s disease are aged 65 years or above. People below 65 years have often been reported to be suffering from this disease but it is still not very common.
It is very important to educate and spread awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, considering how rapidly the number of patients is increasing in the older population around the globe.
Some of the important facts about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia that every individual in the world should know in order to assist the patients suffering from this disease.
- Dementia is impacting more and more people every year. It is estimated that about 44 million people around the world are suffering from this ailment. This is already a dreadful number, the worst is that it is expected to surge with each passing year and will be about 135 million patients by the year 2050.
- A lot of senior citizens who suffer from Alzheimer’s do not know themselves that they have it.
- The early symptoms of dementia are speaking difficulty, trouble in finding the right words during conversation, changes in behaviors, temperamental mood swings, and difficulty in performing day-to-day tasks such as dressing or even getting out of bed.
- Only 45% of the patients are given the proper diagnosis of the diseases. This failure of disclosure of disease diagnosis can actually make the patients start receiving the treatment early.
- Alzheimer’s disease may often lead to premature death. A lot of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease have a debilitating loss of memory, making life and day-to-day tasks difficult to perform. Alzheimer’s disease has become the sixth leading cause of death in the United States of America as per the Alzheimer’s association.
- There is no permanent cure for dementia available at the moment. Dementia is the 10 top causes of death in America.
- Dementia is an ailment that cannot be slowed down or prevented.
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
It is very natural for the brain cells to change as a person ages but it is important to understand that Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal way of aging. One of the most common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease is the loss of memory.
If a person occasionally forgets the names or words while in a conversation then that doesn’t mean that he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. There are many other signs and symptoms which determine that a person might be suffering from Alzheimer’s or might have dementia at an early stage.
Some of the common symptoms of the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease are:
- Repetitive phrases or questions
- Getting lost in markets or familiar places
- Poor judgment display
- Having trouble in understanding and dealing with finances
- Losing things
- Forgetting things
- Misplacing things
- Taking longer than normal to complete the daily tasks
- Mood swings
- Personality changes
If dementia is not taken into consideration or diagnosed, it can quickly convert into a later and fiercer stage of dementia. Some of the common factors of that stage are:
- Problem in performing regular and familiar tasks and activities
- Changes in perception or vision
- Finding it hard to remember new things
- Gets difficult to deal with numbers
- Numbness
- Can’t understand logical thinking
- Losing things easily
- Finding it difficult to carry on the conversation
- Difficult to socialize
- Difficult to live or adopt a hobby
- Decision making lacking
- Mood swings
- Severe changes in personality
- Losing things easily
Alzheimer’s and brain awareness month
There are many ways to get involved in raising awareness during Alzheimer’s and brain awareness month.
The color of the campaign is purple. You can start the awareness by “going purple”. Change your Facebook page to the hues of purple or add a purple frame to your profile picture on Facebook to showcase to your friends and family that you support this noble cause and want to raise the awareness amongst the crowd.
Conclusion
June is declared as the Alzheimer’s and brain awareness month. It is the perfect opportunity to hold a discussion about the brain. Hold long talks and walks to raise awareness about this illness. You can share the facts about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease with other people to raise awareness and discuss about it becoming a major public issue if remedies are not taken timely.
More than 6.2 million people in the United States of America are living with this disease. The awareness month is the perfect opportunity for everyone to come forward and spread the word so that this disease can be curtailed to some extent or not stopped completely.