Community action needed to stop Alzheimer's crisis | Opinion
Brevard County on paper is no small town. We’re brimming with more than 670,000 residents and our footprint goes far beyond this world. However, in our actions and daily lives, we act as one single community. Everyone knows everyone and we support each other through the good and the bad.
What many may not realize is that under the surface, thousands of our neighbors, family members and colleagues are living with a disease that has no cure and no effective treatment. Alzheimer’s, a brain disease that impacts thinking, memory and behavior, currently affects 1 in 9 adults in Brevard County age 65 and up. When you consider that 24% of our population is over 65, it’s easy to see the crisis our community is facing.
I have worked in senior care for several years and currently give my time to our residents at Hibiscus Court Senior Living. I see every day the impact this disease has on our families. As their loved one begins to lose their memories, who they are and what they love, it puts the family on a rollercoaster with seemingly no end. That is until the final end, when the family loses their loved one all over again.
We as a community must do everything in our power to end this terrible disease. But when there is no cure and no treatment, what can we do?
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Innovate, it’s what we do best here on the Space Coast. So many extraordinary residents have stood up to this disease to help our community. Resources like the Brevard Alzheimer’s Foundation, who work closely with caregiver support groups and offer an invaluable adult day program. Our wonderful senior living communities, like Hibiscus Court, offer residents the opportunity to live independently as long as they can before having to move into memory care, if at all.
On a grander scale, research is where our hope lies. It will bring us new treatments, prevention methods and, one day, a cure. Across Florida, research institutions are leading the way in bringing us closer to an answer. But none of this can happen without community action.
Over the last six years, I have served on the committee for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Space Coast and have had the privilege the past three years to serve as the committee chair. Our small but mighty committee of dedicated local residents work hard to create a space where families can join others who are facing Alzheimer’s, have lost someone to the disease or simply support the community. Our mission is to ultimately raise funds to drive critical research that would not otherwise happen, in addition to local programs and support services through the Alzheimer’s Association Central & North Florida Chapter.
We need you. We need the Space Coast community to come together and make a stand against this disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in Florida alone, we are expected to grow to more than 720,000 living with the disease by 2025. We must stop this coming epidemic.
On Sept. 24, 500 Space Coast residents turned out for Walk to End Alzheimer's. It was a beautiful day honoring our loved ones living and lost to this terrible disease. Together, we raised more than 104,000 for research, care and support. But we still need your help. Please, take time to learn about this disease, know the signs and, if you can, support the cause at alz.org/SpaceCoast.
I believe in the Space Coast community and the ability we have to rally for our loved ones. Together we can "End Alzheimer’s."
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Community action needed to stop Alzheimer's crisis | Opinion
