Don't Forget - World Alzheimer's Day is September 21

September 21st is World Alzheimer's Day when organizations around the world unite to raise awareness of the plight of Alzheimer's Disease victims and to show that this is a global crisis.

Here are some facts about Alzheimer's from the Alzheimer's Association:

Did you know ...

* As many as 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer's.

* Alzheimer's and dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans 65 and older.

* Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's.

* Alzheimer's costs more than $148 billion each year to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses.

* The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization providing support to families facing Alzheimer's and funding research that will get us closer to a cure.

Sooner of later, all of us will either become a victim of this disease or know someone affected by it. It is in one's personal interest, as well as the economy of our country that we each make some effort to support funding and political passion of our congressional representatives.

Many of us do not think of issues of the elderly until we are personally affected by having someone in our family begin to have problems from growing older. This is really a normal occurrence and not one of ignorance. The issues of the elderly are such that we need to think of them sooner rather than later. We all need to raise our own awareness of old age when we hear of someone who is dealing with an aging parent and finding themselves totally unprepared and bewildered as to where to turn. We need to pay more attention to someone elderly when we see them on the street or in a grocery store, to perhaps help them find something or carry something or even just to smile at them. We tend to ignore or look the other way when we see someone very old passing by out of an inner fear that we are also headed in that direction. We look for more and more health products to hold back the physical signs of old age.

Aging is a natural part of life, for all living things, but as humans with a higher intelligence, we see the benefits of being alive, the bonds of feelings of love and belonging that humans crave and do not wish to think of a time when those bonds will break and end with passing. None of us know the true feelings or thoughts of someone of elder years until we arrive at that destination, but it appears that as we reach every phase of our personal aging, we gain more acceptance of where and who we are and welcome the dissipation of some of those fears.

Take this September 21st as a opportunity to raise your awareness, as well as those of others you know, to help support the elderly in any way by becoming an advocate of the Alzheimer's Association or visiting someone elderly or merely acknowledging someone older you see by merely giving them the gift of a smile, a "Hello" or a small helping hand. Your personal wealth will increase immeasurably!