When we gather on May 8 to celebrate Mother’s Day, give a special prayer for the more than 4 million women across the United States who are living with a unique challenge:
Alzheimer’s disease.
Roughly two-thirds of the 6.5 million people in the U.S. living with Alzheimer’s are women. Supporting and caring for these 6.5 million Americans are more than 11 million unpaid caregivers, family and friends who volunteer their time and energy. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that nearly two-thirds of those caregivers are…you guessed it…women – sisters, daughters and, often, mothers themselves.
In Colorado alone, 76,000 people – about 50,000 of them women – are living with Alzheimer’s disease, which is the last major disease without a prevention or cure.
“Even when our beloved mother, or grandmother, or wife, or sister is living with Alzheimer’s disease, there are many ways to celebrate and honor our loved ones on Mother’s Day in a manner that they can appreciate and enjoy while recognizing the challenges this disease presents,” said Meg Donahue, director of Community Engagement for the Alzheimer’s Association of Colorado.
“One thought is to put together a full day aimed at the senses on Mother’s Day,” Donahue said. She offered two ideas:
- “The gift of smell: Scent is one of the strongest memories and has the ability to surface wonderful memories. A bouquet of flowers with strong scents is a great Mother’s Day gift and may even spark a beautiful, distant memory.”
- “The gift of touch: Not only is touch a universal language but for someone living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, it provides an intimate sense of safety and compassion, and has been proven to decrease stress. A wonderful Mother’s Day gift would be a gentle hand massage, painting your loved ones nails or brushing their hair.”
Women and Alzheimer’s disease
- Women are at the epicenter of the Alzheimer’s crisis. Over 11 million women in the U.S. are either living with Alzheimer’s or caring for someone who has it.
- Women in their 60s are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s over the course of their lifetime as they are to develop breast cancer.
- The risk for women developing Alzheimer’s is 1 in 5, versus 1 in 11 for breast cancer.
- Because of caregiving duties, women are likely to experience adverse consequences in the workplace.
- Nearly 19 percent of women Alzheimer’s caregivers had to quit work either to become a caregiver or because their caregiving duties became too burdensome.
