June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, a time for people in the United States to recognize people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia and to show their support.
Every June, the Alzheimer’s Association sponsors Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month to raise awareness for various types of dementia. It’s a time to help recognize the 55 million people living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias worldwide and those who provide them with support and care.
The Alzheimer’s Association encourages you to show your support by wearing purple during the month of June and to take action to increase awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
What is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month?
June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association. It’s a time to increase awareness of dementia, show support, and tell your story.
How to show your support
There are three great ways to get involved and show your support for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias:
- Go purple
- Wear purple to show your support for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Between June 1 and June 30, wear your purple and post pictures. Many celebrities go purple to show support for their communities and loved ones affected by Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.
- Share your story
- Use #ENDALZ on your social media to share your story or the stories of those you love affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
- Take action
- Take the Go Purple Challenge by joining the Alzheimer’s Association’s Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month Facebook group. Participate in a walk to end Alzheimer’s near you, or donate to your favorite Alzheimer’s and dementia charities, such as:
Facts about Alzheimer’s and other brain conditions
- According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, every 3 seconds, someone in the world develops dementia.
- Nearly three-quarters of people living with dementia have never received formal diagnoses.
- Dementia is not inevitable. It doesn’t need to be a part of healthy aging. As people age, typically, they remember the knowledge and experiences they’ve built over the years, older memories, and language.
- The U.S. needs more geriatricians — doctors specializing in caring for older adults. Experts estimate that by 2050, in the U.S. alone, there will need to be nearly three times more of these doctors than we have now.
10 signs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias
People with a type of dementia may have more challenging life experiences than those without the condition. Some examples of challenges below can show the early signs of dementia:
- It’s natural to forget things at times, but in someone with dementia, forgetfulness tends to occur more often, affecting how they do daily activities. For example, they may repeat themselves often, forget important events, or need more reminders, like lists and sticky notes.
- A person with dementia might find it harder to complete typical daily tasks, like cooking for themselves, driving to familiar places, or using their phone.
- Having dementia can make it harder for a person to work through tasks that involve planning or problem-solving, like paying bills or following recipes they’ve cooked many times.
- Someone with dementia may trip and fall more often than usual because they find it harder to judge distances. They might also spill things more often and find spatial or visual tasks more challenging than someone without dementia.
- It’s common to lose track of time occasionally or experience accidental confusion about times or places, but these experiences tend to happen more often with dementia.
- Having dementia can make it more difficult for a person to retrace their steps or remember previous locations if they lose something.
- The memory effects due to dementia can cause difficulties with words — speaking or writing — like having a harder time recalling a word for an everyday object or following a conversation.
- A person with dementia may find that they’ve become more fearful or suspicious or find themselves getting upset in common situations. People around the individual may feel that the person’s personality’s changing.
- Someone with dementia may experience scams more often or challenges in judgment when managing money, taking care of their pet, or keeping a personal hygiene routine.
- A person with dementia may withdraw from social activities like going to church, visiting friends, or other activities they once enjoyed.
Types of dementia
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe changes in the brain that primarily affect memory, language, and your ability to think. While there are many types of dementia, more than 100 by some estimates, here are the four most common types:
Each type includes symptoms of dementia, but each has a unique cause.
Takeaway
June is the Alzheimer’s Association’s Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month.
To raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, you can wear purple, the color of Alzheimer’s awareness, use #ENDALZ when sharing your stories on social media, and help raise money by donating or participating in events like a walk to end Alzheimer’s in your area.