The Role of Senior Centers in Mitigating Alzheimer's and Other Forms of Dementia

PROJECT SYNOPSIS

Dementia, a common term associated with memory loss, causes problems with an individual’s memory, thinking, and behavior to the point where it affects day-to-day life and social functioning.  Alzheimer’s, the most common and familiar form of dementia, is becoming more prevalent among the older adult population. Of all individuals diagnosed with dementia in the United States, Alzheimer’s accounts for sixty to eighty percent of the cases.7

Understanding the severity and impact of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia on older adults and their family members is crucial for policy makers, stakeholders, supportive services, and medical professionals due to the implications on national, state, and local governments, health and social services, nonprofits, and communities. To address national demographic trends, it is important to understand the appropriate programs and services necessary to prevent, treat, and evaluate Alzheimer’s, as well as the large impact the disease has on U.S. healthcare costs. With definitive ways to address prevention and a cure, it is vital that this disease become better known.