Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness And National Caregiver Awareness Month

November is Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness and National Caregiver Awareness Month

The first symptoms of Alzheimer’s vary from person to person. For many, difficulty with tasks like word-finding, vision/spatial issues, and impaired reasoning or judgment, may signal the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, typically, Alzheimer’s progresses in three stages:

• Mild Alzheimer’s Disease—at this stage, people experience more than just forgetfulness. Problems can include wandering and getting lost, trouble handling money and paying bills, repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, and personality and behavior changes. People are often diagnosed in this stage.
• Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease—In this stage, damage occurs in areas of the brain that control language, reasoning, sensory processing, and conscious thought. Memory loss and confusion grow worse, and people begin to have problems recognizing family and friends. They may be unable to learn new things, carry out multistep tasks such as getting dressed, or cope with new situations. In addition, people at this stage may have hallucinations, delusions and paranoia and may behave impulsively.
• Severe Alzheimer’s Disease—People with severe Alzheimer’s cannot communicate and are completely dependent on others for their care. Near the end, the person may be in bed most or all of the time as the body shuts down.

At the Hays County Commissioners Court November 1 meeting, the court recognized caregivers and those they care for, including those affected by Alzheimer’s disease, by proclaiming November as Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Caregiver Awareness Month in Hays County.

Eric Schneider, Epidemiologist with the Hays County Local Health Department, told the Court that “it is fitting that both are recognized in the same month since the leading reason that an estimated 43.5 million adults in the U.S. provide unpaid care is dementia, a disease that often requires full-time, around-the-clock nursing care.”

“Others care for loved ones such as children or adults with special needs or wounded veterans. It’s fitting that we recognize these kind-hearted souls who put their lives on a back burner to care for others,” continued Schneider.

These caregivers are the backbone of the nation’s long-term care system, providing an estimated $450 billion worth of unpaid care each year, according to the proclamations.

In Texas, 1.4 million unpaid caregivers provided care to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease in 2015, an estimated 350,000 individuals. This equates to 1.5 billion hours of unpaid care at a cost of $18.9 billion per year. Texas ranks fourth in the number of Alzheimer’s disease cases and second in the number of Alzheimer’s disease deaths. 

Visit the Centers for Disease Control website to learn more about Alzheimer’s basics, including information about causes, diagnosis, and treatment. November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Read the presidential proclamation to learn more.