Families facing Alzheimer’s disease will have access to a series of free educational presentations in Mescalero, NM offered by the Alzheimer’s Association, New Mexico Chapter.
“Living with Alzheimer’s: For Caregivers (Middle Stage)” will be held on Thursday, May 19th, 10:00am – 11:00am. The event will be hosted by the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Tribal Elderly Program located at 215 War Bonnet Dr., Mescalero NM, 88340. To register or for more information contact Priscilla Lujan at (575) 624-1552 or plujan@alz.org.
This particular presentation (“Middle Stage”) is the second installment of a three part series. The third installment will be “Living with Alzheimer’s: For Caregivers (Late Stage)”, will be presented on June 2nd (10am – 12pm). The first installment, Living with Alzheimer’s: For Caregivers (Early Stage)”, was previously presented. All will be hosted by the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Tribal Elderly Program, and all are FREE of charge.
Class size is limited and they do fill up quickly. Call now to register. Participants may be reimbursed for the cost of having others tend to their loved one while they attend the classes.
The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease is growing – and growing fast. Today, 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including an estimated 200,000 under the age of 65. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the US, and early two-thirds of those with Alzheimer’s disease – 3.3 million – are women. Nearly one in every three seniors who dies each year has Alzheimer’s or another dementia*.
Someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s every 66 seconds. In 2050, someone in the United States will develop the disease every 33 seconds. By that same year, up to 16 million will have the disease.
Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s.
The growing Alzheimer’s crisis is helping to bankrupt Medicare. In 2016, the direct costs to American society of caring for those with Alzheimer’s will total an estimated $236 billion, with just under half of the costs borne by Medicare. This cost is projected to increase to $1.1 trillion (in today’s dollars) by 2050.
Alzheimer’s takes a devastating toll – not just on those with the disease, but on entire families. In our own state, 37,000 New Mexicans are suffering from Alzheimer’s. They are cared for by 106,000 unpaid caregivers, many of whom are members of their own families.
The Alzheimer’s Association, New Mexico Chapter offers free classes to caregivers and families facing the disease. Call (505) 266-4473 or our 24/7 Helpline at 1-800-272-3900 for more information.
*Source for all statistics: The 2016 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figuresreport at alz.org/facts.
About the Alzheimer’s Association®
The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s. Visit www.alz.org or call 800.272.3900.