All diseases feel cruel in nature-and there is no disease that is worse than another. But with the American work ethic asking the general population to be employed well into their elder years it seems particularly callous that there is a disease that can rob you of the enjoyment you’ve earned during your retirement given that more than 1 in 9 people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s Dementia.

Alzheimer’s Disease causes loss of memory and severe cognitive illness. Most people aren’t aware that they have the disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, worldwide, 47 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other Dementias.

What is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month?

June is declared by the Alzheimer’s Association, the world’s largest non-profit funder of Alzheimer’s disease research, as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. It’s a month to help raise awareness about the disease, as well as show support for the millions of people worldwide living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. In addition, it’s a time to recognize caregivers for the support that they provide to those living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

The Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

There are four stages of Alzheimer’s Disease:

Pre-dementia

The first symptoms are often mistaken for aging or stress. Testing can reveal mild cognitive trouble for up to eight years before an actual diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. The biggest change is memory loss, which involves short-term memory loss and an inability to learn new information. Apathy can be observed at this stage and remains the most prevalent symptom throughout the course of the disease.

Early

The increasing impairment of learning and memory eventually leads to a definitive diagnosis. In a small portion of individuals living with Alzheimer’s Disease, problems with language, executive functions, perception and movements are more prominent than memory problems. Older memories of the person’s life, facts learned, and implicit memory (the body’s memory on how to do things, like using a fork to eat) are affected to a lesser degree than new facts or memories.

This stage features a limited vocabulary and decreased word fluency. The person is capable of communicating basic ideas. Motor tasks such as writing, drawing, dressing or movement coordination may be present but are unnoticed. As the disease progresses, people living with Alzheimer’s can continue to do things on their own, but they may need assistance with the most cognitively demanding activities.

Moderate

In this stage, deterioration hinders independence with subjects unable to perform the most common activities of daily living. Speech, reading, and writing skills are progressively lost. Motor skills decrease, so the risk of falling increases. Long-term memory, which previously was available, becomes impaired, and the person may fail to recognize close relatives.

Drastic behavioral changes are common, including wandering, irritability, crying, outbursts of aggression and resistance to caregiving. Victims can also have trouble controlling their bladder. These symptoms can create stress for caregivers. The stress can be reduced by moving the individual from home care to a long-term care facility.

Advanced

During the last stage, the person is completely dependent upon caregivers. Language is reduced to simple phrases and words, which leads to complete speech loss. Despite this, people can understand emotional signals.

Aggressiveness can still be present, but extreme apathy and exhaustion are very common. In this stage, people are often confined to their bed and lose the ability to feed themselves. Alzheimer’s Disease is terminal, but pneumonia or other external factors are usually the cause of death.

Participate in the Longest Day

What Is The Longest Day?

As a culmination of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month, the Alzheimer’s Association celebrates ‘The Longest Day’ on June 20th. This is a day of significance as it is the summer solstice and the day with the most sunlight. On this day people across the world will fight the darkness of Alzheimer’s through a fundraising activity of their choice. It’s a unique fundraising activity to honor those living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, for whom every day is long and hard. Not simply a run or walk, the Longest Day invites participants to spend the day doing something they love, whether that’s kayaking, biking, or dancing.

Go Purple

People can also foster Alzheimer’s awareness on the Longest Day or during Alzheimer’s Awareness Month by “going purple,” the color of the Alzheimer’s Association. A few ideas to get involved: wear purple, change light bulbs, or write #ENDALZ on your windows in washable purple window chalk. However you participate, make sure to share your pictures on social media and use the hashtag #ENDALZ.

Become an Advocate

Anyone can sign up at the Alzheimer’s Association website to join their network of Alzheimer’s advocates. Advocates receive regular emails with ways to help influence national policy and create widespread awareness—everything from joining support groups to writing letters to congress to serving on advisory boards.

Take Care of Yourself

Perhaps one of the simplest, but most profound ways to honor Alzheimer’s sufferers is to live a healthy lifestyle. Though there’s no known way to definitely prevent Alzheimer’s, research shows that following a healthy diet and exercise plan, keeping social engagements, and fueling your mind with ongoing education and stimulating activities may all slow cognitive decline.