June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month and Grand Oaks of Jensen Beach is helping spread the word about brain-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. According to a recent study conducted by the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 47 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

While most people recognize the symptoms of these disorders, like forgetfulness, impaired speech and confusion, many people are unaware that dementia and Alzheimer’s are not the same disease. Dementia is a generalized medical term used to describe brain-related symptoms like memory loss and impaired cognitive function. Dementia can be caused by various disorders or conditions, including:

• Brain Injuries and Tumors
• Huntington’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Vitamin deficiencies
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
• Alzheimer’s disease

While dementia is characterized by damage to the brain cells, Alzheimer’s disease involves deposits of tangled protein fragments in the brain along with brain cell damage. With Alzheimer’s, cell damage occurs in the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with learning and memory retention. For this reason, memory loss is often the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, Alzheimer’s accounts for nearly 80 percent of all dementia cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

In honor of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, Grand Oaks of Jensen Beach is hosting a very special Memory Café for members of the community. Come paint the town purple at the Purple Ribbon Ball, a prom-inspired event incorporating purple, the Alzheimer’s awareness color. The event takes place Tuesday, June 26th at 10:30am at Grand Oaks of Jensen Beach. The festivities include food, fun and friendship. For more information on the Memory Café Purple Ribbon Ball, please contact Nancy Ginden at 772-209-3119.

As the number of Americans afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia increases, it’s imperative that communities have quality healthcare facilities dedicated to assisting patients with brain-related disorders. At Grand Oaks of Jensen Beach, we offer highly specialized Memory Care Centers for those experiencing Alzheimer’s or dementia.

For more information or to schedule a tour, contact our administrator, Randy Kelly, at Randy.Kelly@grandoaksjb.org or 772-209-3119.