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“The Ten Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s” will be identified and discussed in detail beginning at 7:00 pm on Tuesday evening, March 29, in the Community Room of the Walpole Public Library.
The Friends of the Walpole Library are sponsoring this important educational talk on mental well-being by Jennifer Hoadley of The Alzheimer's Association, Massachusetts/ New Hampshire Chapter. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. It is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.
Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age.
Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer's (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s. Alzheimer's worsens over time. It is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years.
In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
Those with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions. Alzheimer's has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues.
Although current Alzheimer's treatments cannot stop Alzheimer's from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing.
Formed in 1980, the Alzheimer's Association advances research to end Alzheimer's and dementia while enhancing care for those living with the disease. They have a 24-hour telephone hotline at 800-272-3900, and more information is also available at www.alz.org.
