Friday marks World Alzheimer's Day, a day to raise awareness about the incurable disease that affects more than 35 million people worldwide and 5.4 million Americans.
In San Diego County, there are nearly 60,000 people with Alzheimer's disease.
"How we get it, we're not sure," said the Program Director of the Glenner Memory Care Center in Hillcrest, Sheila Argeanton. "Maybe someone carries the gene."
Argeanton said researchers don't know what causes Alzheimer's.
Glenner Center, she said, aims to care for those living with Alzheimer’s and grant them a sense of purpose and independence despite their disease.
Most of the participants at Glenner Center have moderate to severe stages of Alzheimer's.
They participate in daily therapy activities such as physical exercises to stimulate their brain function, Argeanton said.
"It gives them a sense of independence. They're away from the caregiver. They're with their group, their peers," added Argeanton, "They're doing things they enjoy doing and then they go home in the evening.”
While there is no cure nor way to prevent this terminal disease, people can slow its progression by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, doing mental stimulation exercises like learning a new language or playing a musical instrument.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 16 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer's by 2050.
"I would like to see the disease gone," added Argeanton. “I would like to see no more Alzheimer's."
In an effort to continue providing care to locals with Alzheimer's and other memory disorders, leaders at the Glenner Memory Care Centers will be hosting their "Pearls of Wisdom" fundraiser on Oct. 13.
The event will take place at the Marriott La Jolla starting at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit this website.
