I'm standing outside FAO Schwarz on Fifth Avenue in New York City. In fifteen minutes I see about 100 people coming and going. I ask myself? Did I just see 8 people that are going to suffer from Alzheimer's during their lifetime?
Bob DeMarcoAlzheimer's Reading Room
Editor
Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States (now surpassing diabetes).
In people over age 65, it is the fifth leading cause of death. If a treatment or cure is not found, Alzheimer's is likely to devastate the baby boomer generation.
By the time you finish reading this article and look at the chart, another person is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Every 70 seconds, someone in the USA is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Right now about 2.7 million people over the age of 85 suffer from Alzheimer's disease. One out of every two.
My mother, a robust woman, who never had a major illness or operation during her life, now suffers from Alzheimer's disease. It all started to go downhill when she turned 85.
Alzheimer's is a sinister disease that attacks not only the person suffering from Alzheimer's, but also -- the entire family. Alzheimer's can linger for a long period of time--often a decade or more.
Even if you don't get Alzheimer's you are likely to be subjected to the torture of Alzheimer's.
More than 100 million people have been touched by Alzheimer's according to a recent Harris Interactive poll. Thirty five million are worried about getting Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's inflicts serious emotional, and sometimes psychological stress, on everyone it touches. Studies indicate that more than 40 percent of Alzheimer's caregivers suffer from depression. It is easy for me to understand why this happens.
By the time the first wave of baby boomers reaches 85 years of age (in 23 years), the disease will have reached epidemic proportions.
Of course, there might be a treatment or cure. Or.....
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Bob DeMarco is the editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. The Alzheimer's Reading Room is the number one website on the Internet for news, advice, and insight into Alzheimer's disease. Bob has written more than 800 articles with more than 18,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
Original content Bob DeMarco, Alzheimer's Reading Room
