June Is Alzheimer's And Brain Awareness Month: Here's What's Important

Statistics show that roughly 1 in 3 seniors will die of Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, with someone in the United States developing the disease every 67 seconds, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Furthermore, only about 45 percent of people with the neurodegenerative illness or their caregivers report being told of their diagnosis.

As June marks Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness month, it's time to shed more awareness on the illness. Many health officials are encouraging individuals to look for early warning signs of the problem, including short term memory loss, social isolation and/or speech changes.

Since the first official discovery of Alzheimer's disease via Dr. Alois Alzheimer who noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness, medical science has continued to make tremendous progress with new medications, prevention treatments and discoveries about how the most common form of dementia affects the brain is now believed to be caused by the dysfunctional tau protein and not the amyloid protein.

It's important to remember that the initial onset of dementia can be slow or quite progressive, with symptoms ranging from memory loss, to behavioral changes and chronic confusion, as well as a host of other issues. If you or a loved one is noticing issues, contact your primary care physician for guidance.

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).