As someone who works in a nursing home, I have seen firsthand how the Alzheimer’s crisis in our country is affecting elderly Americans and their loved ones. 

More than six million Americans are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease as of 2023, according to alz.org. One in three senior citizens die with Alzheimer’s or Dementia. That’s more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. 

Most simply put, Alzheimer’s is a type of Dementia characterized by degeneration of the brain. At first, symptoms may be very mild and align with those of normal aging. However, as the disease progresses, the afflicted will be unable to live by themselves and require a full-time caregiver. More than 11 million Americans provided unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, according alz.org.

Being a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia can be a gratifying, but difficult job. Often being a caregiver can be emotionally, physically, and financially draining. However, help exists for these caregivers,  since resources are available to help them. When a loved one first gets diagnosed with Alzheimer’s it can be a very scary and lonely time. Alzheimer’s Association’s website is full of resources to make navigating Alzheimer’s and Dementia an easier process. In 2022, unpaid caregivers provided an estimated 18 billion hours of care valued at 339.5 billion dollars. 

If you are interested in joining the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia you can visit the  Alzheimer’s Impact Movement,  an interest group to get more money for Alzheimer’s research, resources for caregivers, and make Alzheimer’s a national priority. They use this research to gain basic knowledge of the disease and work on coming up with a drug to cure Alzheimer’s and prevent it in the future. You can get involved by donating money, participating in one of their events or just by spreading awareness of AIM and their mission. 

I have watched countless residents slowly develop Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. I have watched as many residents die from this disease. It never gets easier to hear of another person with Alzheimer’s dying. So until that day comes when a cure is found, all I can do is care for those who have it while they are here and hope for change. 

I hope to some day to see a cure for Alzheimer’s. AIM makes that goal a possibility. But that will never happen if we don’t do anything about it.