LAKELAND, Fla. — Every three seconds, someone in the world will develop dementia.
That's according to Alzheimer's Disease International, and the numbers are projected to increase over the next couple of decades.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people living with the disease doubles every five years beyond the age of 65.
That number is projected to nearly triple to 14 million by 2060.
Vicky Pitner is working to help families whose lives change because of the debilitating disease.
Pitner serves as the Memory Ministry Coordinator for the Memory Cafe at the First United Methodist Church in Lakeland.
Put simply, she is the glue that bonds people who are living with or caring for a person with Alzheimer's or dementia.
"I am filled with hope every day. I read articles. I get new information. I get new studies on how to help these families," Pitner said.
Cheryl Bennett and her husband visit the café when they can.
He was diagnosed with a rare case of dementia called Primary Progressive Aphasia.
"It's a speech language dementia, and we're in year 11," Bennett said.
Bennett said her husband is still highly functional, but his words don't come out how they're intended to.
The disease has affected his acknowledgment that anything is wrong, which Bennett said is difficult to handle.
As is the isolation the disease creates.
"Dementia is very isolating. You know, there is a quote that I read a long time ago that when it's cancer, everybody rallies, and when it's dementia they disappear," Bennett said.
Jody Streussnig with the Alzheimer's Association is all too familiar with stories like Bennett's and said, unfortunately, we may hear more like hers as the years pass.
"Alzheimer's in the state of Florida we are looking at 580,000 people right now within the state of Florida living with Alzheimer's or dementia," Streussnig said.
She expects that number to grow to 720,000 by 2025.
The main contributor of developing the disease, Streussnig said, is age.
"Right now, age is the leading contributing factor, but there are also modifiable risk factors that people can add to their everyday life," Streussnig said.
Those modifiable risk factors consist of healthy eating, exercise, and the elimination of smoking, but maybe more than anything is finding a support system.
"Be kind and caring to people because you don't know because a lot of times you don't know if they're going through dementia. It's not like we advertise it," Bennett said.
If you have a loved one living with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, Pitner has a few recommendations for you.
First, she said it's important to understand their world and accept it.
If they said today is Christmas, then today is Christmas.
She suggests turning on some songs and sharing that memory with them instead of arguing about what day it is.
Secondly, she recommends engaging in activities that they like.
If they were an artist, bring out the paints, write poetry, or dance to their favorite music.
While they are living with memory loss and may not remember the moments, you will.
She said it's important to create ones that matter.
For more information about the Memory Cafe in Lakeland, visit their website.
To find a memory cafe near you, visit here.
