Jenny couldn’t really say when it all began. She just knew that lately she was having trouble remembering where she put her car keys and glasses, and she was even having trouble recognizing some of her friends. At this very moment, she was trying to remember the name of her youngest child, but as much as she tried, she couldn’t. For that matter, she was having trouble remembering what she ate last night and what movie she saw with her friend earlier in the day. Jennie knew that something wasn’t quite right in her mind but she attributed it to being retired and to the stress of helping to care for one of her children who had been sick during the past several months. Even her friends had begun to comment on her forgetfulness. She was frightened. Did she have Alzheimer’s disease?
Called one of the most significant health and social crises of the 21st century, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevents many older adults and their families from enjoying their “Golden Years.” The World Alzheimer Report 2016 (Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2016) states that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias present the capacity for social and economic disruptions for which the world is woefully unprepared.
The population of those over age 65 years is expected to double in size to about 72 million people between 2010 and 2035, and the age group of 85 years and older is now the fastest growing segment of the population. With the number of people with AD doubling for every 5-year age interval beyond age 65, many of us will have at least one relative afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease (National Institute on Aging [NIA], 2017).
According to Alzheimer’s Disease Research (2010):
- If dementia were a country, it would be the world’s 18th largest economy.
- If dementia were a company, its revenues would be the largest company in the United States, exceeding Walmart (U.S. $414 billion) and Exxon Mobile (U.S. $311 billion).