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TN Dept. of Health starts 2-year campaign to raise awareness of Alzheimer's, hoping for a cure

The TN Department of Health said around 357,000 caregivers are providing millions of hours in care per year. Many hours are spent caring for people with Alzheimer's.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Health announced Thursday they would start working on a 2-year project to raise awareness about the many facets of Alzheimer's.

They said the project will increase the state's capacity to support provider engagements, strategic planning, risk reduction, early diagnosis and treatment. Many caregivers who help people diagnosed with Alzheimer's also said they hope the project will lead to a cure.

"What we have to do is get the word out there, get people to know that there is hope. There's going to come a day, there's going to be that one person that's going to be the cure," said Donna Barber, who cares for her husband.

He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's around 3 years ago. The illness caused memory loss and now interferes with his daily life. While he can feed himself and get dressed, Barber said his short-term memory has been severely damaged.

The disorder slowly destroys memory and thinking skills over a long period of time. Health experts said Alzheimer's can show itself when a person is around 30 years old, with some slight symptoms people may not even notice. People may simply get confused or start struggling to speak or write.

Late-onset Alzheimer's can interfere with daily life, causing motor dysfunction and severe cases can cause people to lose the ability to respond to their environments.

It is mostly associated with a person's genetics, according to health experts. The disorder starts with a buildup of plaques in the brain, interfering with neuron connections. Over time, these neurons can die after losing connection to the rest of the brain.

According to the Tennessee Department of Health, around 120,000 people live with Alzheimer's across the state. Barber said she believes the more people who have access to information about it, the better.

"We need to get the word out there, what's available now," she said. "Because you're not in this by yourself."

She said the new project from TDH may inspire people to work harder towards finding a cure for Alzheimer's. It can also help prevent severe symptoms from developing through symptom awareness efforts, while also comforting caregivers and people diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

It is one of 16 public health departments working on the campaign. The project is set to end in 2024.

She said it is not easy to live with Alzheimer's or to care for people who have it. But that hasn't stopped her from caring for her husband.

"Love and commitment to each other," she said. "Yeah, that's the one thing that has never wavered."

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