Alzheimer’s is now the 5th leading cause of death in the US

Every year more and more people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. A recent report in the 2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, indicates that an estimated 5.1 million Americans over 65 now have Alzheimer's.

According to the report health care costs for them and for people who have other forms of dementia are more than three times higher than costs for older Americans who are not afflicted.

Every 70 seconds, someone in the USA develops Alzheimer's. The disease slowly erodes the brain and eventually the body and can drag out for years, placing financial burdens on families and the medical system, the report says.

The disease also can lead to serious emotional and physical stress on the caregivers of those afflicted with the disease, says William Klein, professor of neurobiology and physiology at Northwestern University's Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.

"Because there is no solution right now to the disease, it causes real hardship on families, my family included," Klein says. The report indicates that about 2.7 million people over age 85 have the disease, but by the time the first wave of Baby Boomers reaches 85 in 2031, an estimated 3.5 million people that age and up will have Alzheimer's.

Call the Alzheimer's 24 hour help line 800-272-3900

for information and  help for both patients and care givers.

Go to www.alz.org/index.asp to reach the Alzheimer's Association Website where you will find the latest Alzheimer research, news, information on clinical trials, early detection information, message boards and much much more.

Listening to music may help

Evidence is growing that listening to music can help stimulate seemingly lost memory and even help restore some lost cognitive function in dementia patients. This may be a way to make life easier for both a loved one who has Alzheimer's.

Seniors, and their families are always concerned: Is it a “senior moment” or is it the beginnings of Alzheimer’s.

According to the Medical Encyclopedia memory loss (amnesia) is defined as unusual forgetfulness that can be caused by brain damage due to disease or injury, or it can be caused by severe emotional trauma.

The cause determines whether amnesia comes on slowly or suddenly, and whether it is temporary or permanent.

Normal aging may result in trouble learning new material or requiring longer time to recall learned material. However, it does not lead to dramatic memory loss unless diseases are involved.

A recent study shows that about 14 million, or roughly 18%, of the USA's 79 million baby boomers can expect to develop Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia in their lifetime. According to the Alzheimer's Association, Americans are developing Alzheimer's at an accelerating rate. With longer life comes the added risk of Alzheimer's, a progressive brain disease that causes severe memory loss and confusion.

The report, "2008 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures," states that one out of eight boomers will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the most common type of dementia, at some point.

As we get older we have more and more "senior moments". I know I do. Some of our loss of memory is real and some is imagined. Once you get to thinking about the things you can't remember it seems this happens more often than when you were younger.

Of course there are lots of things you can do to help you remember. I suggest that you start making lists. I find that writing things down helps me to remember them and if I can remember where I put my list, this helps too.

Keeping a calendar or day by day is great for not missing appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I also find that if I put my "stuff" in exactly the same place all the time. This way I can always find it. This is particularly true with respect to glasses, keys, wallet, TV remote, etc. A place for everything and everything in its place should be your motto.

One of the most frustrating senior moments is not being able to remember names. The restaurant you want to go to for dinner, your cousin's little boy, the name of the city your friend Joe lives in. A little "crib" of names and places helps a lot. In almost all cases you will think of what you have been trying to remember in time. When you do, write it down in your "crib" as you will probably need to once again call this name up in a day or two or a week or two.

Memory loss in most cases is not serious. It's just aggravating. Of course many of us worry that having difficulty remembering something might be the beginning of Alzheimer's. A very small percentage of seniors over 65 have Alzheimer's, but this percentage increases to almost 30% once you reach 85 according to the Medical College of Wisconsin. Other research shows this percentage even higher.

People with mild cognitive impairment often have mild memory difficulties but usually no other sign of Alzheimer's.

• One in 10 people over the age of 65 develops the disease.
• Over 85 the odds rise to one in two.
• The Alzheimer’s Association estimates there will be 9 million Americans with the disease by 2020 and 15 million by 2050. In 2006 there were 4.5 million.
• Up to 79% of late-onset Alzheimer's is genetic.
• Genes account for 58% to 79% of a person's risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's, a study reports today.
• Late-onset Alzheimer's, the most common form of the disease, typically strikes after age 60 and causes forgetfulness, confusion and behavioral changes.