Marjorie P. Lee Senior Living Blog

Waiting to learn whether you or a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease is an uneasy time, one usually filled with turmoil and uncertainty. But you may be able to find comfort in facing the disease head on and establishing a plan for your future with Alzheimer's.

A 2014 poll conducted by the Alzheimer’s Association (following up on a 2010 poll it performed in association with The Shriver Report) found that women are more likely to feel the effects of Alzheimer's disease than men.

The wellness decisions that older adults make have a direct consequences on senior healthcare. Smart wellness decisions, such as eating nutritious food and exercising regularly, keeps you healthier as you age. After the age of 55, healthy people do not require as much medical care as do unhealthy individuals. A person with uncontrolled diabetes, for example, would likely need medical intervention than someone without the conditions. Furthermore, a healthy person tends to gain more from medical treatments and suffer fewer complications.

Across the country, more than 5 million men and women suffer from dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. As the population ages, the agency predicts more than 7 million people will have the disease by 2025, representing a 40 percent increase. By 2050, the Alzheimer’s Association says that number could top 13.8 million, assuming no treatment has been found to prevent the disease or slow its progression.

National movements to make communities dementia-friendly is a concept that has taken hold in Europe, but has been slower to take root in the U.S. But some states, and individual communities, have begun to take matters into their own hands, creating their own programs and holding collaborative summits to share knowledge and gain a better understanding of the needs of people with dementia.

A senior living alone often faces many challenges including the symptoms of depression: lack of energy, difficulty focusing or concentrating, sadness, and even emptiness.

Some senior healthcare experts have noted that nearly 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 65 suffer from depression, and the likelihood that an elder will experience the symptoms of mood disorders increases with aggravating factors such as chronic physical disease or lack of mobility.

Alzheimer's disease isn’t easily recognized at first.

You probably made a number of promises to yourself when you took your first steps into retirement living—experiences that you were finally going to enjoy now that you had time. You were going to eat better, go on the European tour you planned as an idealistic youth, finally join that book club. You may have even checked a few off your list.