By Jill Lesser and Brooks Kenny, Women Against Alzheimer’s

A public health crisis is looming – and we have the power to make sure it’s not ignored.

We bet you didn’t know that a full two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s are women, and that one in six women aged 65 or older will develop Alzheimer’s (that’s twice the rate of breast cancer). We also bet you didn’t know that Alzheimer’s disease rivals the economic burden of smoking on this country’s healthcare system, costing approximately $170 billion dollars per year.

WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s, a network of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, understands this reality and the urgent need to drive awareness and empower women to change the paradigm on the greatest health imperative of our time: Eradicating Alzheimer’s disease and promoting life-long Brain Health. 

How are women going to do this?

As the Chief Medical Officers of their families, women have the power to lead the brain health movement. Women have already been change-makers for the key health issues of our time, from heart disease to breast cancer. By empowering women with the tools to lead, we can change the trajectory of brain health for ourselves, for our loved ones, and for future generations.

Brain health means making the most of your brain and reducing risks to it as you age. It’s important because – in the Alzheimer’s space, right now – there’s a pressing need to engage people earlier. We need to inform and empower people of all ages so they can reduce their risk throughout life, catch any signs of cognitive decline early, participate in research, and plan their care. 

Brain health broadens the fight against Alzheimer’s to include everyone. It’s the key to defeating stigma, increasing early detection, speeding up research – and ending this disease. It offers us hope – and points us to the actions we can all take.

Our research shows that women are ready to make positive change. In fact, more than 80 percent of women already believe we should be talking about brain health more. Women see brain health as a top health priority and want to learn, discuss, and do more to optimize brain health across the entire lifespan. By empowering women with the tools to lead, we can change the trajectory of brain health for ourselves, for our families and communities, and for future generations. 

Brain health belongs at the forefront of women’s health. Women are highly susceptible to comorbidities that can increase risk for cognitive decline, such as hypertension and heart disease. This is even more true for African American and Latina women, who are at an even higher risk. However, the latest science tells us that people can build cognitive resilience by making key lifestyle changes, including participating in regular physical activity, staying socially engaged, and maintaining good heart health. To end this crisis for women in America, we must make proactive brain health across the lifespan a priority for women everywhere. 

Diagnosis is not the only way women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s. Women carry the burden of the disease as caregivers for spouses, parents, family members, and friends of those who face the prospect of life with Alzheimer’s. According to the 2019 Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures, approximately two-thirds of caregivers are women (more than one-third of dementia caregivers are daughters). Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s takes an emotional toll that can be accompanied by immense financial and physical burdens. Women bear 80 percent of the social cost of Alzheimer’s – already estimated at more than $200 billion in the U.S. alone. To address the caregiving discrepancy, we need to overhaul social support, medical, and workplace systems to promote economic justice for women. Increased funding for sex-based research worldwide is the first step to reaching this goal. WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s demands increased NIH and NIA funding for sex-based research to limit the disparate impacts of Alzheimer’s on women as caregivers and patients.

The women’s Alzheimer’s epidemic is a public health crisis, and we believe that knowledge and hope will spark empowerment and change.

Women will be the ones to change attitudes and behaviors on brain health across the lifespan at every age and in every community. We know that it will be women scientists who lead us to the future of sex-based research. Women doctors and health care professionals will pave the way to proactive care for women’s brain health. It is women who will make changes in their own lives and in the lives of their families to establish daily habits that affect the greater Alzheimer’s paradigm for the better. But in order to accomplish this, we must realize that the power to change the trajectory of Alzheimer’s is in every single one of us. We can make a difference, starting today, by joining the Be Brain Powerful^TM movement. As part of the movement, join our 30-day Brain Health Challenge as a first, easy-to-incorporate step towards making brain health a part of overall health. Sign up here to receive daily emails with achievable tips on how to improve your brain health and let everyone know that they, too, can be brain powerful champions and do something about Alzheimer’s disease, today!

The people affected by Alzheimer’s are constantly changing, and unfortunately growing in numbers. Our vision for a world united by women to stop Alzheimer’s has remained the same. We Won’t Wait.

About Women Against Azheimer’s

Our vision is to ignite a movement and mobilize women to boldly raise their voices against Alzheimer’s.

Together, we will educate women everywhere about the need to stop Alzheimer’s disease before it impacts our daughters and future generations.

We invite organizations and individuals to join our fight.

As a member of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s unites women across the globe to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Our growing network of women is impatient with the slow progress being made in the Alzheimer’s fight. Driven by our passion, we are committed to ending current “business-as-usual” approaches to funding, research and advocacy, bringing Alzheimer’s out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Because women won’t wait.