Thursday, December 10, 2015
Local Alzheimer’s Association chapter gives insight about disease
Thu, 10 Dec 2015Shelley Andrews :: LUCOM Marketing and PR
“This is not just an isolated disease, this is one that affects entire families and friends.”
Jane Massie knows this firsthand. Not only is she the Development Director for the Alzheimer’s Association of Central and Western Virginia, Massie has several family connections to Alzheimer’s.
“I lost my maternal grandmother in the late 80’s when many were not familiar with the disease. I also lost my paternal aunt in 2008. She suffered with Alzheimer’s for approximately 20 years. Currently, a close relative on my husband’s side of the family is experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer’s. It is truly a journey,” said Massie.
On Dec. 8, Massie spoke at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM). LUCOM-Student Osteopathic Internal Medicine Association (SOIMA) organized the event in an effort to increase awareness.
“I was hoping that the LUCOM student-doctors would become more aware of Alzheimer’s and how big of a role that it plays in the lives of many individuals and their families,” said LUCOM-SOIMA secretary and second-year doctor Jasmine Jackson.
Massie started her presentation with the basic details about Alzheimer’s, defining it as a progressive disease that destroys cells in the brain, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior. A person’s short-term memory is affected first.
“They will easily remember things from years ago, but they won’t remember if they took their medicine,” said Massie.
The presentation included facts and figures about Alzheimer’s: 44 million people worldwide suffer from it, including five million in the U.S., and 130,000 in Virginia.
Financially, Massie says Alzheimer’s has the potential to bankrupt the U.S., if a cure isn’t found. According to her statistics, Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the nation $226 billion this year. By 2050, costs could be $1.1 trillion.
One statistic she pointed out specifically to LUCOM student-doctors: only 45% of people with Alzheimer’s or their caregivers report being told about the diagnosis from their physicians.
“A lot of times physicians will not report it because they don’t know what to say or they don’t have the background or training to handle it. And they are not sure it’s going to do the person much good,” said Massie. “But the person needs to know for a lot of reasons, mainly to have the time to get their life together and make some big decisions.”
Massie wants LUCOM student-doctors to not be a part of that statistic once they enter the medical field.
She also hopes that one day, the statistics will only show how many lives have been saved.
“Our vision for the Alzheimer’s Association is extremely simple. We want a world without Alzheimer’s. It would be great to not have a job because we found a cure,” said Massie.