★★★ Please read this as it took me a long time to write. Thanks ★★★

On LinkedIn, I am connected to some of the most successful, powerful, and brightest minds on the planet. You are a group of people whose talents and influence could help bring change to one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time: dementia.

I have Alzheimer’s disease, so I see the horrors of this disease firsthand. But this goes so far beyond my own experience: Dementia is unlike other diseases we have faced.

There are no survivors to advocate for the cause. Those of us who have it often cannot speak up for ourselves, and caregivers are over-burdened by the intensive care their loved ones need. And this devastating disease is only getting worse: A new person develops some form of dementia every 3 seconds. One way or another, this disease impacts all of us.

We all have a social responsibility to help those who are dying from this horrific, painful disease, and to prevent its spread in the future.

That’s why I’m asking you to take on this cause. There are steps you can take right now, today, that will not only help bring an end to this cruel disease, but steps that could help a loved one facing dementia.

• Talk about dementia publicly – with your family and friends, online, or even with a letter to the editor of your local paper. Call and write your elected officials to demand they do more to address this public health crisis.
•  Create policies and procedures within your organizations that support people living with dementia and their caregivers.
• Find a way to include people with dementia and support them. Dementia is horribly isolating, and a friendly word can mean a lot.
• Raise funds for research. Dementia research is drastically underfunded in comparison to other major health issues.
•   Donate to organizations. I recommend UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, which has made significant progress in the global fight against this disease in just a few years. The chairman does not take a salary and contributes his own money to the organization. You can donate here: https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/donate

You can also take a quick survey to help UsAgainstAlzheimer’s direct its strategy in the fight for a cure. Here’s the link: https://surveys.signforgood.com/usa2-alz-impact

The need for action is urgent: Dementia, including Alzheimer’s, is the most expensive disease we face. It costs our country more than heart disease or cancer – and with the cost of care rising, this disease could bankrupt the country unless we find a cure.

Dementia is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, with more than 500,000 people dying from Alzheimer’s each year! That staggering number means that on average:

• 41,666 die every month
• 9,615 die every week
• 1,369 die every day
• 57 die every hour

This is equivalent to almost three 747s crashing every day. Yet Alzheimer’s and dementia research remains neglected and chronically underfunded. That’s why it’s so important for all of us to use the influence and resources we have to bring attention to this critically important cause.

You are the most powerful folks in the world. I’m asking you today to do something with that power. So many are suffering and dying, and they’re counting on us to act.

While I still can, I am more than happy to speak to anyone about the impacts of this disease and how you can join the fight.

Thank you so much, and I hope you are blessed to never get this disease.

Michael Ellenbogen