Spreading Awareness:
World Alzheimer’s Month
By Phyllis Smith
“We are all just walking each other home.”
– Ram Dass
World’s Alzheimer’s Month focuses on addressing the stigma of dementia. LRobInspires and Clear Guidance partner to support care providers and patients.
The Helping Hand
At LRobInspires, we believe in the power of the helping hand. In the case of Alzheimer’s and dementia, many of the team members have faced the daunting task of assisting a loved one with the troubling diagnosis and struggle of mental decline. It is the hope of LRobInspires, as we work with our client Clear Guidance, to raise awareness of opportunities for interventions for patients and care providers. Together they are highlighting the extensive resources available to help on the challenging and often difficult journey. LRobInspires is excited to partner with Clear Guidance to support that organization’s mission of proactively linking care providers and patients with important services. Liz recently sat down with Jennifer Pilcher, Ph.D., CMC to explore the extensive services Clear Guidance offers and discuss the ways that dementia and Alzheimer’s are misunderstood in our society (Link to interview: Clear Guidance FULL INTERVIEW ). We are using the ADI’s World Alzheimer’s Month to highlight their theme of: “Time to act on dementia. Time to act on Alzheimer’s.”
Experience, science, knowledge, and compassion: the many facets of a family’s life with an Alzheimer’s patient.
September 2024 provides another valuable opportunity for Liz to share the lessons she and her family learned caring for her mother. In the past, Liz has talked about the poignant journey her family took as her mother progressed in her Alzheimer’s disease. In this Instagram post, Liz interviewed her father about what he had to provide as a full-time caregiver for 12 years until his wife’s passing. His story is filled with insight into the challenges people face as they walk alongside someone with mental decline. Clear Guidance recognizes that a care provider often is grieving the person while the person is still alive. The team at Clear Guidance works hard to give families hope and the ability to focus on the positive.
Clear Guidance offers the unique ability to join together disparate offerings not often provided via traditional neurological medical solutions. They also provide supportive resources like art therapy which allows patients with dementia who are unable to express themselves verbally to use other methods such as art and music to express emotions.
This World Alzheimer’s Month we are raising awareness of dementia and challenging misconceptions around the condition.
Dementia facts & figures | Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) (alzint.org)
Through Liz’s journey and our own time working with Clear Guidance, as well as the extensive resources available from the sources we have cited, we would like to share these key facts on Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. These are things everyone needs to know.
Key Facts & Figures
– Dementia is not a normal part of aging. 1 in 4 of the public thinks that there is nothing that can be done to prevent dementia, yet evidence suggest that 40% of dementia could be delayed or prevented by modifiable risk factors.
– Neurologists are often the doctors who diagnose the issue but are often unable to provide assistance to patients and families on how to cope. This is where Clear Guidance is uniquely positioned to help support patient and care providers, offering modalities not typically provided by a single doctor.
– Care givers for dementia patients face stigma as well. 35% of carers across the world said that they have hidden the diagnosis of dementia of a family member.
– The care support system should have resources to help patients focus on joy rather than hardship. Dementia and Alzheimer’s are diseases which often seem like a slow loss, but there are many ways to remain positive and appreciate what persists.
– 5th largest cause of death in the US. Dr. Pilcher shared details on the demographics of the disease in her interview with Liz, including the fact that the number of people living with dementia worldwide is predicted to rise sharply to 139 million by 2050.
– Early detection leads to better treatment. World’s Alzheimer’s Month 2024 is the first World Alzheimer’s month with a traditionally approved treatment to slow Alzheimer’s in early stages.
It is important that we present a positive image and consistent message about World Alzheimer’s Month across all associations, groups and organizations around the world, amplifying the voices of people living with dementia, their care providers and families. Normalizing the language around dementia, and showing what can be done, is the key to change.
Call to Action:
If you have a family history or other reason to be concerned, spend some time this month doing some research and ask your primary care provider about testing. There is important detailed information on these websites:
Home | Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) (alzint.org)
Clear Guidance also offers consultations for families at any stage of their journey, whether a new diagnosis or when facing a new challenge.
Reducing The Stigma
Being educated on risk factors and gaining deeper insight into a personal situation might ease your mind. A personal understanding of the data and elements of dementia and Alzheimer’s will help reduce the stigma these issues have in society.
