November Offers Opportunity to Focus on Alzheimer's

When President Ronald Reagan proclaimed November as National Alzheimer's Disease Month, he did not know that he would join 5.1 million Americans (including more than 100,000 Washingtonians) who are currently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

In 1983, when President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month (NADAM), fewer than 2 million Americans had the disease. Today, the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s has soared to more than 5 million. By 2050, 11 million to 16 million people will likely have Alzheimer’s.

Through their personal involvement, Ronald and Nancy Reagan dramatically changed the face of Alzheimer’s by raising public awareness of the disease and boosting research efforts. Later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s himself, Reagan died in 2003.

NADAM is an opportunity to build awareness of the Association's role in Alzheimer advancements and generate concern about the disease and its impact. While there is much we don’t yet know about Alzheimer’s disease, tremendous progress has been made since 1983, laying the foundation for future breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

This November, the Alzheimer’s Association and its local chapters will work to increase knowledge of the disease and to promote the progress made in treatment and care. The Association also will launch a new suite of online resources to help caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.