City Council: Alzheimer’s Disease awareness promoted during November

November 29, 2006
Santa Paula City Council

A tragic situation for any family, Alzheimer’s disease, can be made easier with early detection and education as well as awareness of the ever-worsening condition.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA tragic situation for any family, Alzheimer’s disease, can be made easier with early detection and education as well as awareness of the ever-worsening condition.The City Council proclaimed November Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month at the Nov. 20 meeting to note the growing number of those afflicted and the toll it has on families and communities.City Councilman Dr. Gabino Aguirre presented the proclamation to Marcia Ortiz, Area Director of the Ventura County Alzheimer’s Association.“I would just like to offer that within my own family there has been an elderly individual who has suffered from Alzheimer’s,” noted Aguirre. “It’s a very tragic situation, especially when,” families lack proper insurance to cover treatment and care.The disease affects more than 4.5 million Americans and is projected to grow to between 11.3 million to 16 million by 2050.
“The cost of treating Alzheimer’s disease in America is estimated to be more than $100 billion annually,” Aguirre said.Increasing age is the greatest risk for Alzheimer’s and the average lifetime cost of care for a victim is about $174,000.Aguirre said that the Council is committed to and endorses the “conduct of services, events and festivities in order to promote the city’s message of awareness by recognizing the social impact of Alzheimer’s disease,” and hopes to help promote an “enduring awareness of the city’s commitment to healthcare, thus fostering a continual awareness of Alzheimer’s among its residents.”“I would like to thank Mayor Rick Cook and the Council for your support,” said Ortiz. “We look forward to working with Santa Paula seniors and their families,” whose lives are impacted by Alzheimer’s.“…it’s a terrible disease,” Ortiz added. “In Ventura County now there are more than 12,000 people suffering from Alzheimer’s” as well as those family members who suffer along with the victim.



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