World Alzheimer's Month

Did you know? September is World Alzheimer's Month.

Ten Warning Signs of Alzheimer's
1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure
4. Confusion with time or place
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spacial relationships
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.
8. Decreased or poor judgement
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
10. Changes in mood and personality

Unpaid Caregivers and Stress

There are nearly 15 million Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers providing 17 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $202 billion. Facts and Figures finds that caregivers not only suffer emotionally but also physically. Because of the toll of caregiving on their own health, Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers had $7.9 billion in additional health care costs in 2010. More than 60 percent of family caregivers report high levels of stress because of the prolonged duration of caregiving and 33 percent report symptoms of depression.

Death from Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Based on mortality data from 2000-2008, death rates have declined for most major diseases while deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have risen 66 percent during the same period.


Alzheimer's Facts in Each State
The 2011 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report also contains data on the impact of this disease in every state across the nation. Click below to see the effect that Alzheimer's is having in your state.