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September Is World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

Americans are living longer than ever before. While longer life brings great opportunities, older adults also face an increased risk of developing a chronic health condition or a cognitive disorder.

Since September is Alzheimer’s awareness month, we want people to recognize the differences between normal aging-related changes and something more serious like dementia.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, dementia is a general term for a decline memory and thinking ability such that it interferes with everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Many symptoms of dementia can be confused with normal aging like poor judgement and decision making, inability to manage a budget, losing track of the date or season, difficulty having a conversation, and misplacing things with difficulty retracing your steps.

If these things happen occasionally it is probably not dementia but increasing frequency of these types of issues or changes in personality may be pointing to a more serious problem.

It is important if you suspect dementia to seek medical care. Many reversible conditions like dehydration, vitamin deficiencies, and other uncontrolled chronic conditions can cause symptoms similar to dementia. Also early detection and treatment of dementia may help to slow the process even though there is currently no cure.

Currently there are 5.8 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050 this number is expected to increase to 14 million people. More than 16 million unpaid caregivers are currently providing 18.5 billion hours of care to someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. In 2019 dementias including Alzheimer’s cost the nation $290 billion dollars and these costs could rise as high as 1.1 Trillion by 2050. Early diagnosis can help but only 16% of older adults receive regular cognitive assessments.

Chautauqua County Office for the Aging works very closely with Alzheimer’s Association of WNY to support people living with dementia in our community. We provide support to caregivers/care partners, as well as, programs and services for the person with the disease to help them live as independently as possible. Caring for someone with dementia can take a great toll on the physical, financial, and mental health of the primary care giver and their family; so we provide training, respite and services for the caregiver to ensure they have the support they need.

There is a lot of stigma and misunderstanding surrounding Alzheimer’s and other dementias. That is why Chautauqua County has joined the Dementia Friendly America movement. We were the first county in NY to receive this designation and it shows our commitment to making sure our community is aware and ready to help support the growing number of people touched by dementia so they can live their best life.

The first step is to make everyone better able to recognize dementia and know what they can do to help if they see someone struggling. Dementia Friends USA has three-minute videos that show how community members, businesses, emergency personnel and others can lean in to assist someone struggling with dementia. If you watch two of these videos, you can consider yourself a “Dementia Friend” and add your name to the over 500 people in Chautauqua County who have joined since the beginning of the year. You can also print out a certificate to display at your home, office or church demonstrating your willingness to help and support someone with dementia.

If you send a picture of yourself with your certificate to ccnyc@co.chautauqua.ny.us, we will display it on our OFA Facebook page.

Dementia is a growing problem but we all have a role to play in helping those affected live productive and happy lives. On September 21, the Office for Aging will be participating in the walk to End Alzheimer’s at Point Gratiot. This event raises money for research with the hope that we can find a cure in our lifetime. If you would like to join us or donate to support our team go to www.alz.org and find Team OFA Chautauqua.

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