Alzheimer's and dementia disease affects people from all walks of life.  According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly 7 million people in America are living with Alzheimer’s.  Kentucky’s data from Alzheimer’s Association is shown below:

• 81,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in Kentucky.
• 11.2% of people aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline.
• 157,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in Kentucky.
• 302 million hours of unpaid care provided by Alzheimer’s caregivers.
• $4.8 billion is the value of unpaid care.
• $949 million is the cost of Alzheimer’s to the state Medicaid program.

A Brain Health Lunch and Learn was presented at the Estill County Extension Office.  Ten participants attended with the audience being care givers and adults over fifty.  Several of the participants have or have had family members with Alzheimer’s.  Information on the signs, symptoms, and causes of Alzheimer's were presented.  Videos from the Alzheimer's Association were included in the presentation.  The participants participated in an activity to help exercise the brain.  Information on ways to improve sleep and proper nutrition was included as well.   The participants had a healthy meal from Plan Eat Move of Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken Soup and Fall Harvest Salad.

One hundred percent of the participants reported improvement of their knowledge of healthy eating and good sleeping habits for brain health.  Eighty percent of the participants feel that they could recognize the warning signs of Alzheimer's and Dementia.  Seventy percent of the participants stated that they would use this information to improve their diet and to incorporate brain workouts in their routines.