9. More than 500,000 seniors die each year because they have Alzheimer's. If Alzheimer's was eliminated, half a million lives would be saved a year.
8. While the number of deaths due to HIV, stroke, heart disease and prostate cancer all declined between 2000 and 2010, deaths attributable to Alzheimer's increased 68 percent, according to the Alzheimer's Association. (source)
7. If you're a woman, Alzheimer's is as great a threat to your health as breast cancer. This means, if you're a man, Alzheimer's is as a great a threat to the health of your sister, your wife, your aunt, your mom as breast cancer is.
6. Funding for Alzheimer's "still remains a fraction of the $2 billion that the NAPA Advisory Council recommended." We need to keep raising money to ensure we see a change happen.
5. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's disease may nearly triple, from 5 million to as many as 16 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow or stop the disease. The need for research and medical developments is URGENT and cannot wait. Alzheimer's isn't slowing down so we can't either.
4. Every 67 seconds, someone in the US develops Alzheimer's. Think about how long it's taken you to read this--how many people have developed Alzheimer's in that time?
3. We all deserve to grow old, #tbt, and say the words "Remember when?" Alzheimer's robs us of the ability to grow old and gray together with our friends, to enjoy blissful retirements, to be badass seniors who dance like this.
2. We need to make noise. "Americans whisper the words Alzheimer's...it needs to be yelled and screamed."
1. There are no survivor hats or shirts at Alzheimer's walks, and there should be. There's something to be said for going to a walk and celebrating the survivors you see or to see someone fighting whatever it may be that the walk/event is raising money and awareness for. However, when you go to an event for Alzheimer's, there are no survivor hats or survivor t-shirts. We walk in memory of and in support of those who fought or are fighting Alzheimer's. It's a sobering reality of the disease, but it doesn't have to be reality. We can make a change.
Please consider walking with or donating to my team, We Kick Alz! The walk is on September 28 this year.
Want more information? Read the 2014 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures--a report from the Alzheimer's Association. (A lot of these facts came from this report.)
♥a
Some more reasons courtesy of BVB in LA:
Board of Directors meeting for the California Southland chapter of the Alzheimer's Association
Mom's Birthday Year 1
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