Many boomers in dark about Alzheimer’s single, about, baby

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Many boomers in dark about Alzheimer’s
Demographic is biggest population group facing disease, but 25% unaware of early signs: survey


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quarter of B.C.’s baby boomers can’t name a single early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a national survey being released today.

“It’s shocking, yeah, for sure it is,” said Jean Blake, chief executive officer of the Alzheimer Society of B.C.

She was referring to respondents’ inability to cite even one warning sign of Alzheimer’s, which include memory loss affecting daily living, difficulty performing routine tasks, communication problems, personality changes, loss of initiative, disorientation, poor judgment or mood swings.

“Obviously we’ve got a lot of work to do to build awareness,” she added in an interview.

The online survey of more than 1,000 Canadians aged 45 to 65 was done last summer but the release of the results was delayed to today to coincide with healthier lifestyle resolutions for the new year and a month-long Alzheimer’s disease awareness campaign.

The survey itself, including the design and margins of error, were not available Monday because of an embargo to be lifted today.

Although Alzheimer’s can strike even those with the healthiest lifestyles, more and more research indicates that what’s good for the heart is also good for the brain as the links between vascular disease (poor blood circulation) and dementias have now been established by medical research.

There are more than 70,000 B.C. residents living with various dementia conditions, including Alzheimer’s, and of those, 10,000 are under the age of 65.

While there are more than 15,000 new cases each year, Blake said that number is expected to double in the next generation because of population demographics.

“People often go day to day not thinking enough about how their lifestyles impact their future health but we know there is an association between Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes,” she said.

Advancing age is the single biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s, and baby boomers are the single biggest population group facing the disease.

The national Alzheimer Society conducted the survey to test whether baby boomers know enough to recognize disease symptoms and reduce risks associated with Alzheimer’s. It can be accessed and completed online at www.alzheimerbc.org/testyourknowledge.

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Volunteers ride on the "Boomer Express" on a float called "It's Time to Face Alzheimer's" in the 122nd Rose Parade, January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. Boomers (or "baby boomers") are people born during the Post-World War II baby boom between 1946 and 1964. One in eight boomers are at risk for Alzheimer's disease according to the Alzheimer's Association