The 2014 Facts & Figures report recently released by the Alzheimer’s Association shines a bright spotlight on the fact that women are disproportionately affected by AD. Consider these statistics:

• Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women.
• A woman’s estimated lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer’s at age 65 is 1 in 6, compared with nearly 1 in 11 for a man.
• As real a concern as breast cancer is to women’s health, women in their 60s are about twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s during the rest of their lives as they are to develop breast cancer.
• More than 60 percent of Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers are women.
• Nearly 19 percent of women Alzheimer’s caregivers had to quit work due to caregiving responsibilities.

Those numbers are staggering, so what can we, as women, do to make a difference?

I’d like to introduce you to Beating Alzheimer’s By Embracing Science (B.A.B.E.S), founded by Jamie Tyrone. This grassroots organization channels the power and energy of women who share a common passion – ending Alzheimer’s and other related forms of dementia. Continue reading →