Left to right, Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Jones, Director of Countywide Operations Tammy Crumley, Hays County Local Health Department Epidemiologist Eric Schneider and Texas Vaccine for Children Coordinator Amelia Flores, Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell, and Precinct 4 Commissioner Ray Whisenant. Hays County photo
November proclaimed Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
The Hays County Commissioners Court has proclaimed November as Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Caregiver Awareness Month in Hays County.
“It’s fitting that these are recognized together,” Hays County Local Health Department Epidemiologist Eric Schneider told the Court, “because the leading cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s Disease, and the leading reason that caregivers are needed is because of dementia in elderly patients.”
More than 40 million people in the United States provide unpaid care to loved ones – providing an estimated $450 billion of unpaid care each year, Schneider noted, and because life expectancy continues to rise, more will need long-term care and potentially triple the number of caregivers needed.
“Alzheimer’s is unbelievably devastating for everyone who experiences it, and we want to recognize the kind-hearted souls who take care of our loved ones who can no longer care for themselves,” Schneider said. An estimated 5.5 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s disease and 360,000 of those individuals are Texans.
