Dementia touches countless Colorado lives, with Alzheimer’s disease the most common kind and older adults most likely to experience it.
As described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dementia is not a specific disease but instead “a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interfere with doing everyday activities.”
Nearly 91,000 Coloradans older than 65 are living with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association of Colorado. That figure represents about one in 10 of those 65 and older. It’s the state’s seventh-leading cause of death.
Now the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment hopes to build awareness about dementia through a statewide campaign.
It’s called “Talk About Dementia.” It started in August and includes information about the condition, warning signs and benefits of early detection.
The push, part of a five-year plan to reduce the impact of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, urges Coloradans experiencing signs of Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, to discuss it openly, early and often, with loved ones, doctors or other health providers.
“We're very excited about it because a big part of the challenge with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia is getting a diagnosis,” said Jim Herlihy, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications with the Alzheimer's Association Rocky Mountain Region, in an interview with CPR News. “It's a health issue.”
People should feel free to talk to their doctor if they have questions, talk to their loved ones if they have concerns or perhaps get a diagnosis, he said. “It is something that we need to deal with.”
Some studies have shown more than 50% of those living with dementia are never diagnosed.
Some are disproportionately affected. That includes American Indian and Alaska Natives, Black, and Hispanic communities. The campaign will focus on things like reducing risk, early detection and diagnosis, and education.
Among the 10 warning signs are memory loss that disrupts daily life, challenges in planning or problem-solving, difficulty finishing familiar tasks, confusion regarding place or time (like trouble understanding weather and the right attire), trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations, like tripping over things, spilling or dropping things and new problems in speaking or writing.
Other signs include misplacing things, hampered judgment, withdrawal from work or social activities and mood and personality changes.
“There are many misconceptions and a lot of stigma related to cognitive decline. For instance, dementia is not inevitable,” said Dr. Hillary Lum, a geriatrician and dementia care researcher at the CU School of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, via email.
“There are things that people living with disease can do to improve their quality of life,” said Lum, who noted supports her mother as she lives with Alzheimer’s disease. “It’s important to know that I am not alone. Many of us have been or will be involved in supporting someone with dementia.”
“Open discussion about these issues is the first step,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, the agency’s executive director, in a news release. “It can lead to better outcomes and more collaboration to support and honor those who are aging in our community.”
More and more, researchers are discovering that brain health is a lot like heart health, the things that are good or bad for the heart also apply to the brain. So common health advice, like managing diabetes, quitting tobacco, limiting alcohol and treating hearing loss all promote brain health and heart health alike.
Proactive steps also include getting enough sleep, being socially engaged, avoiding traumatic brain injuries, controlling weight, eating healthy foods, treating vision loss, and, of course, living an active lifestyle.
“Basically heart health and brain health are intertwined and things that create issues for your heart, high blood pressure, diabetes, are issues that also increase your likelihood of developing Alzheimer's,” said Herlihy.
“The things we can do to reduce our risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia are straightforward. In fact, many overlap with steps we can take to support our overall health and wellness,” said Joanna Espinoza Robbins, CDPHE’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias program manager, in the release. “The bottom line is that we have more control than we might think when it comes to preventing and addressing dementia.”
Another big issue with Alzheimer’s and dementia is that the people who often provide care, and often unpaid, are friends and family members. That has an impact, often detrimental, on them.
According to the campaign, one in three people report that their health worsened due to caregiving. That compares to one in five people who care for older adults without dementia.
By making sure caregivers take care of themselves, they’ll be better able to provide care to a loved one.
Studies have documented the problem, Herlihy said, finding “there was an appreciable number of caregivers who die before the person they're caring for.”
He recalled recently sitting next to a woman in a support group who said her husband had dementia and she had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. “She was skipping her doctor's appointments because she couldn't leave him alone,” Herlihy said. “And the really sad quote she gave me, she says, ‘I'm not sure which one of us I want to die first.’ ”
Herlihy said he’s grateful for the new campaign and hopes it gets people talking.
“I think anything that we can do to raise people's awareness is a good thing,” he said, noting that in recent years the struggles of Robin Williams and Glen Campbell brought the issue home for people.
“It makes people realize that this happens to people, and it's not anything to be ashamed of. It's something that needs to be dealt with like any other disease,” he said.
Another challenge is the cost of care, including if they’re getting that assistance outside of their home. Caring for a person in assisted living or a memory care facility can cost $8,000 to $12,000 monthly or more, said Herlihy.
Ads from the $175,000 campaign are running on social media, according to a state health department spokesperson who said they are also using Google ads and paid search.
The first round of ads were played in August, but more rounds are planned for the coming year. Additional funding is planned for future media buys.
To read more stories from Colorado Public Radio, visit www.cpr.org.
