Alzheimer's Brain Awareness Month

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

• Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
• It is a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss and possibly leading to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment.
• Alzheimer’s disease involves parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language.
• It can seriously affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.

Who has Alzheimer’s Disease?

• In 2020, as many as 5.8 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s disease.
• Younger people may get Alzheimer’s disease, but it is less common.
• The number of people living with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65.
• This number is projected to nearly triple to 14 million people by 2060.
• Symptoms of the disease can first appear after age 60, and the risk increases with age.

10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's

• Memory often changes as people grow older.
• Some people notice changes in themselves before anyone else does.
• For other people, friends and family are the first to see changes in memory, behavior, or abilities.
• Memory loss that disrupts daily life is not a typical part of aging.
• People with one or more of these 10 warning signs should see a doctor to find the cause. Early diagnosis gives them a chance to seek treatment and plan for the future.
  1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life: forgetting events, repeating yourself or frequently relying on more aids to help you remember (like sticky notes or reminders).
  2. Challenges in planning or solving problems: having trouble paying bills or cooking recipes you have used for years.
  3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure: having problems with cooking, driving places, using a cell phone, or shopping.
  4. Confusion with time or place: having trouble understanding an event that is happening later or losing track of dates.
  5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations: having more difficulty with balance or judging distance, tripping over things at home, or spilling or dropping things more often.
  6. New problems with words in speaking or writing: having trouble following or joining a conversation or struggling to find a word you are looking for (saying “that thing on your wrist that tells time “Instead of “watch”).
  7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps: placing car keys in the washer or dryer or not being able to retrace steps to find something.
  8. Decreased or poor judgment: being a victim of a scam, not managing money well, paying less attention to hygiene, or having trouble taking care of a pet.
  9. Withdrawal from work or social activities: not wanting to go to church or other activities as you usually do, not being able to follow football games or keep up with what’s happening.
  10. Changes in mood and personality: getting easily upset in common situations or being fearful or suspicious.

https://www.cdc.gov/aging/healthybrain/pdf/10-Warning-Signs-HBI-Road-Map-508.pdf

Resources on Aging, Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Health

Aging

• CDC Healthy Aging Program
• National Institute on Aging
• The National Library of Medicine
• Administration for Community Living

CDC Healthy Brain Initiative

• The Healthy Brain Initiative
• State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia: The 2018-2023 Road Map [PDF – 19.3 MB]
• Road Map for Indian Country [PDF – 10.3 MB]

Other Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Health Resources

• Alzheimer’s Association
• Alzheimer’s Disease Public Health Curriculum [PDF – 10 MB]
• Alzheimer’s Foundation
• Alzheimer’s.gov
• Brain Health as You Age [PDF – 371 KB]
• National Institute on Aging
• Us Against Alzheimer’s
• Alzheimer’s Association Public Health Efforts

https://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/alzheimers.htm#anchor_1489431553