Seven Ways You Can Participate in Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan designed November as National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Ironically, President Reagan was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s himself, joining the millions of Americans affected by this devastating disease.

In honor of National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, you can join the fight against Alzheimer’s. Here are seven steps you can take:

1. Join a clinical trial.  Researchers are always seeking healthy adults for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials. To learn more, visit the Alzheimer’s Association’s TrialMatch web page at http://www.alz.org/research/clinical_trials/find_clinical_trials_trialmatch.asp

2. Get genetic testing. That will help determine your genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s disease.
3. Contact your state and national legislators. Urge them to increase funding for Alzheimer’s disease and to encourage the FDA to approve further testing of specific Alzheimer’s disease drugs.
4. Get educated about Alzheimer’s disease. Learn all you can about the disease, risk factors, treatments, and myths. Our AutumnLeaves.com resource page includes a wealth of helpful information at http://autumnleaves.com/assisted-living-education/
5. Speak up if you see the symptoms. If a loved one displays possible symptoms of the disease, don’t be afraid to open up the conversation about getting further testing.
6. Sign the “Stop Alzheimer’s” petition. Find the petition by clicking here.
7. Join the fight against Alzheimer’s. Staff members in many of our Autumn Leave communities organize teams to participate in their local Alzheimer’s awareness walks — but anyone can join! Be sure to wear purple, the color for Alzheimer’s awareness. And put purple in your Facebook profile or cover photo. Show that you care!

Find out more about National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month here.

Are you looking for compassionate care for your loved one with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia? Autumn Leaves’ state-of-the-art communities in four states offer unparalleled memory care. Click here to learn more about what Autumn Leaves offers.