Maybe it’s a close friend or a distant relative. It might even be one of your parents or grandparents.
For many of us, it’s not hard to think of someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s alone. The disease causes brain cells to wither and die, robbing people of their memory and thinking skills while also prompting various behavioral problems. Eventually, it can leave them unable to perform basic daily tasks.
Like other dementias, Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, meaning it gets worse over time. There’s no cure for it, and current treatments are unable to reverse its spread.
But the disease impacts more people than just those diagnosed with it. Many with Alzheimer’s disease receive care from friends and family in their own home. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2015, nearly 16 million adults cared for family members with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
