The first time I had seen anyone with dementia, occured while I was in the VA hospital in 2005.  The nurse told me that the fellow-veteran, named Manuel, was 48 years old, with a mind of a three year old!  He had to be hand-fed and bathed every day.  How sad to see this.  You can read more about this, in an article I wrote on the subject, which is entitled, "Remembering Manuel" and it can be found at the following link;
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=26115

The following article was published by the Albuquerque Journal on September 21, 2009 and was written by Lauran Neergaard of the Associated Press.  The article is entitled, "Dementia Numbers Increase." 

THE ARTICLE READS AS FOLLOWS: 

"WASHINGTON:  Impact of Alzheimer's disease underestimated in developing countries. 

More than 35 million people around the world are living with Alzheimer's disease, or other types of dementia, says the most in-depth attempt yet to assess the brain destroying illness...and it's an ominous forecast as the population grays. 

The new count is about 10 percent higher than what scientists had predicted just a few years ago, because earlier research under-estimated Alzheimer's growing impact in developing countries.  Barring a medical breakthrough, the world Alzheimer's Report, projects dementia will nearly double every 20 years.  By 2050, it will affect a staggering 115.4 million people, the report concludes.

'We are facing an emergency,' said Dr. Daisy Acosta, who heads Alzheimer's Disease International, which released the report today (9-21-09)

The U.S. and other developing countries, have long been bracing for Alzheimer's to skyrocket.  But, the report aims to raise awareness of the threat in poorer countries, where finally, people living long enough to face what is mostly a disease of the 65 and older population. 

While age is the biggest driver of Alzheimer's, some of the same factors that trigger heart disease...obesity; high cholestrol; diabetes...seem to increase the risk of dementia.  These are problems also on the rise in developing countries.  In poorer countries, 'dementia is a hidden disease,' said Acosta, and that's complicating efforts to improve earlier diagnosis. 

For example.  The report notes that in India, such terms such as 'tired brain,' are used for Alzheimer's symptoms amid wide spread belief that dementia is a normal part of aging.  Since 2005, a flurry of research on Alzheimer's in developing countries, has been published, leading Alzheimer's disease International, a non-profit federation of more than 70 national groups...to ask those scientists to re-evaluate.  After analyzing dozens of studies, the scientists projected 35.6 million cases of dementia worldwide by 2010. 

The report puts North America's total at 4.4 million, although the Alzheimer's Association of the U.S. uses a less conservative count to say more than 5 million people in this country alone are affected.  The disease afflicts 1 in 8 people over 65 years and older."

END OF ARTICLE;

In my opinion, and one of the ways to guard against one of these terrible diseases, is to keep the brain busy.  Many people retire from a job, and become inactive and retire to a rocking chair, etc.  A person should keep the brain active and busy!  I talk about this in another article I wrote, especially for retired people entitled, "Calesthenics For the Brain" and can be viewed at the following link;
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=36630

So, if you've done an inventory on yourself...and you DO, in fact, have a brain...this article may be useful to get the awareness that this is a world problem and not a U.S. problem, etc.  Those of you without a brain...never mind...

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