Authored by: Laura Kanov, Senior Vice President, Product Strategy
Every 65 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s Disease and everyone in that family is impacted. More than 16 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, and that care is estimated at 18.5 BILLION hours and valued at nearly $234 BILLION.[1]
But it’s more than just lost hours and dollars. It’s a devastating journey.
At 86, my mother had been in assisted living and skilled nursing for 6 years. She hadn’t recognized me in the last two – perhaps more. She passed a week after Mother’s Day in 2011, but she had been lost to us little by little for years and years. Worse, she lost – her family, her friends, her comforts, her possessions, her dignity. It stole from her the joyful memories of her life as if they had never happened and undermined her ability to communicate even the simplest things.
June has been set aside to help raise awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease. If there is anything I personally would like to raise awareness about, it’s that this destructive disease may be predicted and preempted.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association[2]:
- Less than 1% of people with Alzheimer’s disease have early-onset, genetic mutations that guarantee disease development.
- Evolving research indicates that people can reduce their risk by making key lifestyle changes.
- Based on this research, the Alzheimer’s Association offers10 Ways to Love Your Brain — a collection of tips that can reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Lifestyle habits are instilled at an early age. So, I’ll take this opportunity to once again implore moms, dads, grandmas, gramps, and others to please demonstrate and support healthy habits for the children in your life.
At HBI, we believe that using data in smarter ways can help caregivers guide patients to healthier lifestyles, detect disease earlier, and intervene more effectively when diseases like Alzheimer’s are predicted. Through better research, better care – and, we believe, smarter data – we as a society can abate the scourge of this disease and make a brighter future.
For more information, watch a quick video, browse our solutions and published research on hbisolutions.com, contact us at info@hbisolutions.com or reach out to me directly at lkanov@hbisolutions.com. We’d love to show you how we are helping organizations across the country improve health and reduce costs in their populations.
[1] https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures-infographic-2019.pdf
[2] https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/research_progress/prevention