Help Raise Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness this June

Guest post by Ian Kremer, Executive Director of the LEAD Coalition (Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer's Disease).Today, more than 5 million of our fellow Americans – neighbors, friends, relatives – live with Alzheimer’s disease, and if your family has been spared so far, you probably know other families that have not been so fortunate. As researchers pursue scientific breakthroughs to stop Alzheimer’s disease and as 15 million family caregivers strive to improve quality of life for people who have Alzheimer’s disease, every American can help by being better informed, raising awareness, and volunteering to advance the science and make our communities better places for people facing Alzheimer’s disease.Despite so many of us knowing someone facing Alzheimer’s disease, myths and stigma remain widespread about both the causes and symptoms. Let’s start by educating ourselves and people within our reach about the facts.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association reports 5.7 million Americans currently live with the disease, and that number is expected to rise to as many as 14 million by 2050. Alzheimer’s disease occurs primarily in individuals older than 65, with risk increasing as you age, but an estimated 200,000 Americans have younger onset Alzheimer’s disease. Regardless of age, Alzheimer’s is a disease and not a normal part of aging to be taken for granted, accepted or ignored. Age is a risk factor, but not a cause. These 10 early signs and symptoms can help indicate when it may be time to talk with a doctor to request a formal evaluation.Diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia always should be left to professionals, so it’s best to consult your primary care provider with questions or concerns. If you do receive diagnosis, be sure to ask your doctor to provide an actionable set of next steps that help you take an active role in getting needed family and community support. That means making informed and supportive decisions about medical, legal, financial and care issues, but it also means getting the education and emotional or spiritual support to live life as fully as possible for as long as possible.For people with Medicare coverage, getting evaluated for possible Alzheimer’s disease by your primary care physician is included as a free benefit in the Annual Wellness Visit. And if Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia is diagnosed, your doctor can use a new Medicare code to spend significantly more time helping the person with any form of cognitive impairment and their family caregivers develop a formal care plan. For doctors that don’t know about these Medicare benefits or how to use them, an excellent toolkit makes it easy.Another great way to raise awareness and improve understanding is to become an advocate. The best way to do so is by volunteering with organizations like UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, the Alzheimer’s Association, as well as groups in your local community, to educate and encourage elected officials to support Alzheimer’s research and care programs. The next step is to volunteer to be part of the research that will unlock the science to prevent, slow or stop Alzheimer’s. You can also volunteer for research studies that will improve care and quality of life for people already living with any form of dementia. You can find opportunities to volunteer for dementia research through Antidote, Trial Match, and the National Institute on Aging’s clinical trials search engine.We all have a stake in making our communities as inclusive, supportive and hospitable as possible for people living with dementia, as we have done for people living with any other form of disability. Acting individually, each of us can raise awareness and fight stigma by taking less than 10 minutes to become part of Dementia Friends USA.  If you have a little more time, you can volunteer to start or build your local community’s commitment as part of Dementia Friendly America.You can also wear your commitment to raising Alzheimer’s awareness and fighting stigma on your sleeve… literally. Throughout June, Go Purple by wearing the color every day and using it as a conversation starter with people you encounter going about your daily routine. Share what you have learned about Alzheimer’s, share your personal stories, and start a broader conversation about how all of us have an opportunity to make a difference in lives of our fellow Americans.By working together to learn about Alzheimer’s, we can help to normalize conversations about brain health with family and physicians. We can also create a society better suited to support those affected by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, both throughout Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month and year round.Every member organization in the LEAD Coalition (Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease) believes our country can and must lead the way in advancing the science to stop all forms of dementia while improving quality of life for everyone already facing Alzheimer’s and the other diseases that cause dementia symptoms. Together, we raise awareness, we educate, we advocate. We invite you to learn about our collaborative work on the LEAD Coalition website, by subscribing to our free newsletter and connecting with us on Twitter and Facebook.Ian Kremer is the Executive Director of the LEAD Coalition (Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease), a diverse and growing national coalition of almost 100 member organizations committed to overcoming Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.