Today, more families are touched by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia than in past decades. A big reason is that people are living longer, and age is the greatest risk factor. Medical awareness has also improved—years ago, when someone showed memory loss or confusion, they were often dismissed as just being a “senile old person.” Now, we understand these changes as symptoms of a real disease that affects the brain. Because of better recognition and diagnosis, what once went unnamed is now openly discussed, which is why we see the impact of dementia much more clearly than in the past.
