Gretchen Dobervich, Fargo, letter: Alzheimer’s Association stands ready to help

FARGO — “It isn’t easy to talk about memory loss,” wrote Herald columnist Marilyn Hagerty in her column about Alzheimer’s disease.

“But talk we should.”

The Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota wishes to thank the Herald for “talking about” memory loss during September, which has been designated National Alzheimer’s month September 17 article about Alzheimer’s disease (“Communication is key in understanding Alzheimer’s,” Page B1, Sept. 17).

There are 19,000 North Dakotans and 100,000 Minnesotans living with Alzheimer’s disease. The cause of the disease is unknown, and at this time there is no cure; it is the sixth leading cause of death across all ages in the U.S.

This does not mean that there are not ways to effectively manage the disease symptoms and maintain positive quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s disease. For more than 30 years, the Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota has been offering help and hope to people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, their families and caregivers.

The Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota encourages community members to contact us for information about the disease, education classes, support groups and care consultations services. There was a misprint of our Grand Forks contact information in the column: Ashley Magner, Region 5 care consultant, can be reached at (701) 775-8544, the local office number.

The Alzheimer’s Association offers a 24/7 toll-free help line at (800) 272-3900, and our website is www.alz.org/mnnd.

Gretchen Dobervich

Dobervich is director of the Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota’s Eastern North Dakota Regional Center.

Tags: in the mail, alzheimers disease, alzheimers association, opinion, health, updates