Alzheimer’s Awareness Month Family caregivers are highlighted during the time period

By the Minnesota Department of Health

Family caregivers are the backbone of the care community, but their contributions and needs are often overlooked or underappreciated.

“Caregiving may be the most satisfying and important work we ever do as a profession or in our personal lives,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham. “Many caregivers need more support to maintain their own well-being as they help others.”

Caregiving can range from helping to get groceries to intense around-the-clock care for late-stage Alzheimer’s. In 2020, an estimated 99,000 Minnesotans age 65 years and older had Alzheimer’s disease. The numbers will only increase over time as the population gets older.

Former First Lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter famously said, “There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers. That’s all of us.”

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