November is Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

Did you know that an estimated 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease? That number is expected to nearly triple by 2050, with the number of Asian/Pacific islanders living with Alzheimer’s in California also expected to triple. The disease is one of the fastest growing causes of death for Korean Americans, increasing 200% between 2005 and 2010.  (California Department of Public Health, Death Public Use Files 2005-2010)The Korean American Community Services Inc. (KACS) of Silicon Valley is addressing Alzheimer's in their community through a grant from KACF-SF.  Barriers to seeking proper medical evaluation and treatment are complicated in the Korean community due to stigmatizing cultural misconceptions viewing memory loss as a natural stage of aging or as insanity.  KACS is partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association to offer an annual Alzheimer’s forum in Korean to educate the community about the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease, available resources, etc. KACS also recently launched a Korean-language support group for families and other caregivers of Alzheimer's patients in the Korean community.Contact KACS to learn more: (408) 920-9733 or info@kacs1.org.