City of Warren to Light Up in Purple to Recognize National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

In recognition of National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month (NADAM) and National Caregivers Month, the City of Warren, Mich., will light its City Hall in purple at dusk today Monday, November 9 until dawn tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10.

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s — nearly 200,000 in Michigan alone. It’s the sixth leading cause of death, killing more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

“We understand that, unfortunately, dementia is a growing epidemic in our city, state and nation,” said Warren Mayor James Fouts. “By lighting up our City Hall in purple, we want to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and dementia as well as let area residents know that we are thinking about them, support them and stand by them in their fight against this terrible disease.”

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more people are living with Alzheimer’s, more family and friends are serving as caregivers, death rates continue to climb, and the costs are unsustainable. In Michigan, 518,000 caregivers provided a total of 590 million hours of unpaid care, valued at a total of $7.7 billion.

Additionally, Medicaid costs of caring for people with Alzheimer’s in Michigan is $1.487 billion and diagnoses are expected to increase by about 16 percent by 2025.

“The Alzheimer’s burden in Michigan continues to grow,” said Jennifer Lepard, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association Michigan Chapter. “We’re grateful to Mayor Fouts and the City of Warren for raising awareness of this devastating disease.”

For more information or support, visit alz.org/gmc or call the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900 today.