Tuesday, November 3, 2009

November is National Alzheimer's Awareness Month

As this is Alzheimer's awareness month, I'm going to ask each of you to do one thing this month to help raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease.
-Share your personal story with a person or a group who hasn't heard it before.
-Start a conversation about Alzheimer's awareness--at church, synagogue, civic organization, bridge club, lunch group, wherever you can.
-If you know someone who is showing signs of dementia and it appears their family isn't facing it, give to one family member the guide from National Institute on Aging, CARING FOR A PERSON WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.
-If you're a teacher, ask your class what they know about Alzheimer's and encourage them to learn about it and be aware that some of their friends might have grandparents with Alzheimer's.
-Read our Board president's message in our recent newsletter (see our website), and consider one of the suggestions for helping individuals with Alzheimer's stay connected to the community.
-Contact a local nursing or assisted living residence and offer to volunteer one day this month.
-If you're a caregiver, take one day for yourself to do something special for YOU.