PROCLAMATION

•	Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, and the most common form of dementia. It results in impaired memory, thinking and behavior. Alzheimer's disease usually begins gradually, causing a person to forget recent events and to have difficulty performing familiar tasks.
•	How rapidly the disease advances varies from person to person, causing confusion, personality and behavior changes and impaired judgment. Communication becomes difficult as the person with Alzheimer's disease struggles to find words, finish thoughts or follow directions. Persons with the disease may wander off and get lost, in their own neighborhoods or far from home. Eventually, persons with Alzheimer's disease become totally unable to care for themselves.
•	One in 10 persons over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 have Alzheimer's disease and a small percentage of people as young as their 30s and 40s get the disease.
•	Today, there are 4.5 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease. Unless a cure or prevention is found, that number will jump to 14 million by the year 2050. In our State of Oregon, there are more than 70,000 people with Alzheimer's disease.
•	The superb programs, services and advocacy the Alzheimer's Association, Oregon Chapter and the Southern Oregon Office provide to our City and State is to be commended.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council and Mayor, on behalf of the citizens of Ashland, hereby proclaim November, 2004, as

NATIONAL ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE MONTH

and urge all citizens to observe this month.

Dated this 16th day of November, 2004.

Barbara Christensen, City Recorder
Alan DeBoer, Mayor

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