The dementia rate in Christian County is higher than the state average, and at Tuesday’s Hopkinsville Rotary Club meeting, Alan Toliver from the Alzheimer’s Association shared disease statistics and how the community can support the search for a cure.
Toliver works with the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Alzheimer’s Disease is a form of dementia, which is an umbrella term used to describe diseases that result in cognitive disabilities such as memory loss and struggles with daily tasks.
Toliver says around 81,000 people in Kentucky have Alzheimer’s. Across the state, he says around 10.5% of Kentuckians over the age of 65 have some type of dementia, but in Christian County, that rate is 12.5%.
Toliver shared that Black Americans are twice as likely to get Alzheimer’s, people of Hispanic descent are one-and-a-half times more likely to get the disease and two-thirds of the Americans currently living with the disease are women. He also spotlighted some of the warning signs of Alzheimer’s, which include memory loss, mood changes, trouble understanding images and much more.
Alzheimer’s can be hereditary, but Toliver says there are steps individuals can take to reduce their chances of developing the disease by maintaining a healthy diet, being physically and mentally active and keeping their blood pressure under control.
Along with spreading awareness about the disease, Toliver says the association raises funds for Alzheimer’s research. Each year, local members of the association host the Pennyrile Walk to End Alzheimer’s in the fall and he encourages folks to make teams and donate.
Toliver says funds from the walk have been donated to the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville for Alzheimer’s research. More information about the Alzheimer’s Association is available at alz.org.