Alzheimer's Information: The Future of Alzheimer's - Women at Greater Risk

By Ethelle G. Lord, M.Ed.,DM

The Alzheimer's Association estimates there are now approximately 5 million adults in the U.S. living with Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, despite encouraging research, the future still holds plenty to be concerned about – especially among women. According to a report from TIME magazine, women are likely to suffer from Alzheimer's at a rate significantly higher than men are over the next 10 years.

TIME says women will fall victim to Alzheimer's at a rate of one in six, or 16%. The risk for men is 1 in 11, or 9%. There is no clear indication of why women are at greater risk so, until that's known, there's not a whole lot that can be done except teaching women to take good care of themselves both physically and mentally.

Adding to the burden is the fact that women are the main caregivers for older family members diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Perhaps it is the great stress of being a caregiver that makes women more susceptible to the disease. In either case, being the main caregivers makes Alzheimer's disease doubly difficult on women.

Cost of Care 

TIME reports that the cost of care for Alzheimer's patients, by which we mean unpaid care provided by family members, now totals about $220 billion annually. Those costs are calculated by combining the actual expenses of care with lost wages and the healthcare issues experienced by caregivers themselves. Again, women are affected disproportionately because they are more likely to give up a full-time job in order to care of an Alzheimer's patient.

For women over the age of 60, there is yet another concern: they are twice more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than breast cancer. This one statistic alone suggests we need to start doing more to figure out why women are disproportionately affected by dementia. We should be giving it at least as much attention as the breast cancer issue.

A Healthy Lifestyle

Until some definitive links are established providing clear reasons why women are at such great risk, the best we can do is encourage women to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle includes:

• Diet – We already know how important a healthy diet is to overall good health. A healthy diet enables the body's system to work more efficiently, including boosting the immune system so that it can fight disease. Proper diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, the right amounts of protein and carbohydrates, and as few processed foods as possible. 

• Exercise – The idea of exercise applies to both body and mind. Physical exercise keeps the body working at peak efficiency while mental exercise ensures the brain keeps functioning. Both are very important. 

• Reduced Stress – Stress levels can be very harmful, both physically and mentally, if they are too high for too long. Managing stress goes a long way toward maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

• Tobacco and Alcohol – A healthy lifestyle is one that eliminates tobacco and severely restricts alcohol intake. Limited exposure to both can decrease the risk of all sorts of preventable illnesses.

Researchers believe that maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout one's life could be one of the most important factors in preventing the onset of Alzheimer's disease. They do not yet have all the answers as to why, but they encourage Americans to be as healthy as possible. The broad benefits of a healthy lifestyle should be obvious above and beyond Alzheimer's disease.

At Remembering For You - Ethelle G. Lord, M.Ed.,DM has created a unique Caregiver Partnership Agreement Program that promotes inter-professionalism in organizations and changes the way long-term care is delivered. She is also a pioneer in Alzheimer's coaching having been the first to create a certification program (15-week study course) and delivered on Webinar technology so that nobody needs to leave the comfort of their office/home to take this program. Dr. Lord is also the author of HOW IN THE WORLD... AND NOW WHAT DO I DO? A Primer for Alzheimer's: 12 Major Points for Coping Better available at http://AlzheimersPrimer.com.