My family has a long history of Alzheimer’s. My great-grandmother, grandmother, and aunt all have developed the disease. As a result, Alzheimer’s has been a big part of my family’s life and has given me the drive to spread awareness about the disease. As National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month comes to a close, I want to take the time to shed light on the disease that many feel so hopeless against. Even as a college student, you can do things to make a difference through education, awareness, and giving your time to a great cause.
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
According to Alzheimer’s Association, “Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.” This means that patients with the disease often times have problems with short-term memory retention. At first, this might mean people with Alzheimer’s may forget to do daily tasks or misplace objects often; but, as the disease progresses, patients can have a hard time recalling people, places, and events. In the late stages of Alzheimer’s, patients often can’t speak, smile, or interact with their environments. Despite today’s advanced medical techniques, Alzheimer’s currently has no cure.
Why It Matters.
Alzheimer’s has no cure, no prevention methods, and no vaccine. That means that once someone has it, they have it for the rest of their lives. Unlike cancer, there are no known treatments that cure Alzheimer’s, and unlike chicken pox or polio, you can’t get a shot to prevent it. Even with today’s medical advances, the most popular medicines given to patients simply aim to slow the disease down, not stop it. According to the CDC, this makes Alzheimer’s the 5th leading cause of death in women and the 6th in men (ladies, listen up!).
Because there are no known ways to test whether you will get the disease in the future, research and awareness are especially important. Right now, the biggest obstacle for researchers is finding candidates to participate in medical testing. By studying those with the disease, they hope to one day be able to provide prevention treatments to stop the disease before it even develops.
What You Can Do.
Part of my extended family recently participated in a Walk to End Alzheimer’s in support of my Aunt who was recently diagnosed. In reference to the term “mama bear,” the shirts read “Team Bear.”
Fortunately, the outlook for Alzheimer’s is improving. Every year millions of dollars are put into research as scientists work to find new prevention and treatment techniques. (In fact, one of the country’s leading Alzheimer’s research facilities is right here in Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease and Research Center). Thankfully, donations aren’t the only way to help out. This November, the Alzheimer’s Association put on tons of events including the signature Walk to End Alzheimer’s® in cities all across the US, and Pittsburgh had its own “Walk” earlier in October. Volunteering at these events is an easy (and usually free) way to support the cause, and, if you need service hours, this is a great way to get them. By spreading awareness, even busy college students can make a difference in the battle against this disease.
If you’re really interested in helping out, you can also take steps to make Alzheimer’s research a national priority through legislative advocacy. By signing up for simple email updates from the Alzheimer’s Association here, you can receive alerts on upcoming legislation that enables you to easily advocate the cause to your state and district representatives (and the emails are only sent out weekly, so they won’t take over your inbox). Simple steps like this help pass legislation that provides direct funding to Alzheimer’s research and to the improved care of those already with the disease.
Today, the key to winning the battle against Alzheimer’s is spreading the word and making others aware of the problem, and that’s what Alzheimer’s Awareness Month is all about. It all comes down to people just like you and me who want to make a difference. If you are interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s disease and ways to help, check out Alz.org or Alzfdn.org.
For those who have friends or family members with Alzheimer’s, take a little extra time this holiday season to extend your love and support to them. Sometimes it’s just knowing that someone is there that can make all the difference.
Photo Credit: 1, 2-Facebook