As the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., Mayor Di An Putnam said it is important to recognize Alzheimer's and the fact that it is one of the leading medical disasters of our century.
At Tuesday's city council meeting Putnam proclaimed that Friday, Jan. 24, 2014 will be Alzheimer's Awareness Day in Winnemucca.
Putnam went on to say that more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's and one in three seniors die with the disease or other dementia-related diseases. In 2013 alone, Putnam said, Alzheimer's cost the nation 203 billion dollars.
Gini Cunningham, who facilitates an Alzheimer's support group in Winnemucca, said at the meeting that she wants to actively engage the community in awareness of Alzheimer's.
"We really want to thank you for proclaiming this day," she said.
Putnam said that one American develops Alzheimer's every 68 seconds and by 2050 that statistic is expected to drop to 33 seconds. Another statistic Putnam provided states that 15 percent of caregivers of Alzheimer's patients are long distance caregivers.
Cunningham said it can be difficult to differentiate between age-related changes and the first signs of Alzheimer's disease, but said there are ten warning signs that are important to look out for: memory change that disrupts life, problem-solving difficulties, difficulty completing daily tasks, confusion of time and place, trouble with visual images and spatial relationships, problems with speaking or writing, misplacing and problems retrieving items, decreased ability to make wise choices, withdrawal and severe changes in mood and personality.
Deaun Schertel, who helped organize Alzheimer's Awareness Day with Cunningham, said she is appreciative of the resources and services that are available in the community, but said she hopes to one day have a local facility for long-term Alzheimer's care.
Putnam said that Humboldt General Hospital actually has plans for an Alzheimer's care unit and construction is expected to begin this summer.
In honor of Alzheimer's Awareness Day, Cunningham has organized a "tie one on" ceremony during the girls and boys basketball games at Lowry High School tonight. Cunningham has been passing out purple "bow ties" for members of the community and community leaders and said she hopes to see a large turnout at the event.
Donations accepted at the event will be used for respite care, which provides temporary relief for the primary caregivers of family members with illnesses or disabilities.
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