According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the number of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease is growing fast. An estimated 5.5 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's dementia. Of this 5.5 million, an estimated 5.3 million are age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 individuals are under age 65 and have younger-onset Alzheimer's.
That means 1 in 10 people age 65 and older (10 percent) has Alzheimer's dementia! Because of the increasing number of people age 65 and older in the United States the number of new cases of Alzheimer's and other dementia is projected to soar. Today, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's dementia every 66 seconds. By mid-century, someone in the United States will develop the disease every 33 seconds.
As with cancer, we have all been affected by Alzheimer’s in some form or fashion. November is Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. This gives us a great opportunity to raise awareness of the disease and offer some supportive information about helpful services offered locally for those coping with or caring for people with Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s Services of Marshall County (ASMC) is a non-profit, volunteer organization and resource center serving Alzheimer's patients, caregivers, and professionals.
ASMC overall mission is:
To provide patient and family with support, information, education, and referral services.
To educate the public and health care professionals about Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
To advocate for improved public awareness for patients, family members and other caregivers.
To support dementia research.
Founded in April, 2006, ASMC is a volunteer group of caring professionals working to promote awareness of Alzheimer’s disease, support Marshall County families, and raise funding for their scholarship services and dementia research. ASMC services include:
RESPITE CARE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The rigors of day to day care can take a toll on the caregiver of a patient. This program offers scholarships for qualifying patients so the caregiver may have personal time away.
INCONTINENCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
These products can be very costly, but they are essential for patients who can no longer control their bladder and bowels. Through our scholarship program ASMC will provide incontinence products free of charge and these products would be delivered to the homes of qualifying patients each month.
EDUCATION
ASMC sponsors outreach programs which provide educational speakers to the public free of charge and also, we provide educational pamphlets to local civic groups, schools, churches, etc.
CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS
ASMC sponsors continuing education seminars for professional healthcare workers employed by hospitals, nursing homes, assisted care facilities, etc. These count toward CEU credits.
SUPPORT GROUPS
ASMC works in conjunction with local support groups for furthering Alzheimer's Education.
For more information on Alzheimer’s Services of Marshall County contact:
Alzheimer's Services of Marshall County
P. O. Box 2842 Albertville, AL 35950
256-279-0053
Statistical information in this blog provided by: alz.org