Cumberland Kiwanis
Minutes of May 10, 2010
Sharlene Bellefeuille
Speakers: Sharlene Bellefeuille, Outreach
Specialist, AlzheimerÕs Association of Greater Wisconsin
Topic: AlzheimerÕs Disease: What you need to know
Ms. Bellefeuille first asked
how many people had heard of the Association and how many had used its
services. She noted that she
serves a six-county region for information and assistance regarding AlzheimerÕs.
She then gave a definition of
AlzheimerÕs (AD) as a progressive degenerative brain disorder affecting 5.3
million people, different from normal aging, and for which there is no cure at
present. AD is the 7th leading cause of death in the U. S. and has a
new victim every 70 seconds. The
chance of getting AD at age 65 is 1 in 8, and at age 85, 1 in 2. The disease
results in destruction of brain cells and shrinking of the size of the brain.
She then covered ten warning
signs of AD onset including memory loss, performance difficulty with simple
tasks, language problems, time confusion, place disorientation, lack of judgment,
misplacing items, mood swings, personality changes, and loss of initiative.
Currently, Wisconsin ranks #1
in the nation for diagnostic services.
Local options include the Marshfield Clinic and the Spooner Health
Center. Early diagnosis can
establish a baseline to track progression of the disease and use the best
possible treatment to slow it down.
The best hope for avoiding/delaying AH is to remain socially active,
stay physically fit, eat healthy food, and live a healthy life style.
Ms. Bellefeuille concluded
with a listing of Association services and invited the audience to participate
in a Memory Walk on September 25, 2010.