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.