BOSTON -- By the year 2030, the number of people with Alzheimer's disease in this country is expected to increase by 70 percent.
And a new poll shows baby boomers know very little about the devastating condition -- including actions that may actually delay the disease.
Cathleen and Owen McBride have been through a lot together -- including 31 years of marriage and Cathleen McBride's recent Alzheimer's disease diagnosis.
"All of a sudden, something like an illness like this hits you when you're going along at cruising speed and suddenly realize time may be running out," Owen McBride said.
A new poll released Thursday by the Alzheimer's Association shows most Americans are misinformed about the progress made in fighting Alzheimer's disease. Fewer than half know there are treatments now available to ease symptoms.
Just 29 percent said that they feel scientists are on the brink of an important discovery, and only 24 percent believe a cure will be found in their lifetime, according to the telephone survey of 600 Americans 35 and older.
"They feel there's no hope. They feel there's nothing they can do," Alzheimer's Association spokesman Jim Wessler said.
A campaign released by the Alzheimer's Association aims to heighten excitement over recent advances. Research has shown that lifestyle changes -- like exercising, eating right, and keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check -- can also delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
"If we could delay the onset of symptoms by five years, almost half of the people in this country who have Alzheimer's would never actually develop the ravaging impact of the disease," Wessler said.
There are also newer medications and ongoing studies -- one involving cholesterol-lowering statins.
The poll also showed that only 25 percent of adults are personally concerned about Alzheimer's disease, despite the fact that nearly half of them know of someone who has the disease.
Cathleen McBride can no longer drive or cook. She hopes newer medicines become available soon so she can better cope with what lies ahead.
"I'm a one-day-at-a-time person. I don't really focus on coping. I focus on living," she said.
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New Alzheimer's Poll Released
Survey Information
