How does Alzheimer’s disease affect women?

Women are more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and more likely to be the caregiver for someone who has Alzheimer’s.

When we think about women’s health, we often think of breast cancer. However, women in their 60s are almost twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over the rest of their lives than breast cancer. In fact, one in 5 women over age 65 are likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Plus, there are 11 million women in the U.S. either living with Alzheimer’s or caring for someone who has it.  

Alzheimer’s is a big burden on women particularly as it comes to caregiving. Almost two-thirds of all people caring for loved ones with dementia are women – and of that two-thirds, 60% are daughters. This often results in women needing to cut down on their hours at work or retire early to care for their loved ones. Their mental health is often affected by the stress, as caregiving is a 24/7 job.

Whether you’re affected by Alzheimer’s personally or caring for someone, it’s important to make health a priority. You can still have other medical issues along with dementia or Alzheimer’s; the conditions just complicates care and the ability to care for yourself. Prevention is important not only for yourself, but loved ones. Know your numbers (like blood pressure) and stay on top of your diet. Also, find ways to incorporate self-care into your life (as hard as it may be) – you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Topics discussed:

Alzheimer’s disease / dementia

Women who are caregivers

Women with Alzheimer’s

Self-care for caregivers

Alzheimer’s research

Alzheimer’s prevention

Takeaways from this episode:

1. Almost two-thirds of all people caring for loved ones with dementia are women. Of that two-thirds, 60% are daughters.
2. If you’re the caregiver for someone with dementia, remember: You can’t pour from an empty cup. It’s important to fit self-care into your schedule, even though caregiving is a 24/7 job.
3. It may be tough to ask for help as a caregiver, but you’d be surprised at how many people will support you.
4. On the flipside, sometimes caregivers don’t know what type of help to ask for or are so overwhelmed they don’t have time to think about what they need.
5. The American Academy of Neurology has found that women who had given birth to 5 or more children were 70% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than women who gave birth to fewer children.

Resources discussed:

10 ways to love your brain

https://www.loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/aging-in-style-podcast/episode/1e297445/122-10-ways-to-love-your-brain

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