Wenesday Topic: Alzheimer's Disease

• Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. I kind of wonder what took people so long to start calling it Alzheimer's disease, when it was first described in 1906?
• As many as 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life.
• The spatial skills, such as reading a map or completing a jigsaw, seem to be the first to falter. Many people think that the memory is the first to go. This is not true.
• Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal.
• Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
• It has no current cure. But treatments for symptoms, combined with the right services and support, can make life better for the millions of Americans living with Alzheimer’s.
• It is considered to be among the most stressful illness a family caregiver can face and one of the most physically and mentally exhausting situations in a person's life.
• The Alzheimer's Association has a book that is great for anyone to exercise the brain.

• The Alzheimer's Association also has a Memory Walk every year, which the proceeds go towards Alzheimer research. Check out their site to see when a walk happens in your area.
• If you sign up for their e newsletter, they'll send you weekly puzzles to exercise your brain.