November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. In recognition, the
Mruk Family Education Center on Aging is asking our community to
Get Your Purple On For Alzheimer’s on Friday, November 3, 2017. Then visit Baxter Regional Medical Center
on Facebook and share your photos of wearing purple! We are looking for
the most creative show of purple and are encouraging our community to
have fun while raising awareness.
If you would like to support the services of the Mruk Family Education
Center as well as raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease,
Get Your Purple on for Alzheimer’s t-shirts are available for $15 through Friday, October 27. To pre-order
or for more information, contact Diahanne VanGulick, MFECOA Coordinator,
at (870) 508-3880 or
evangulick@baxterregional.org.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s is a
type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.
Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe
enough to interfere with daily tasks. Over 40 million people globally
are living with this awful disease! In our area alone, about 3% of our
population is affected. It is projected that by 2050 this number will triple.
President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer’s
Disease Awareness Month in 1983. At the time, fewer than 2 million Americans
had Alzheimer’s disease; today, the number of people have soared
to nearly 5.4 million. Get involved this month, and help raise awareness
for Alzheimer’s disease. Help us paint the town purple! The more
people know about Alzheimer’s disease, the more action we inspire.
An Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Group meets at the Mruk Family
Education Center on Aging the fourth Friday of each month at 2 p.m. For
more information, call (870) 508-3880 or email mfecoa@baxterregional.org.