Can Social Media Help us Fight Alzheimer’s?

It’s true: social media cannot prevent or slow the progression of a disease. However, it’s changing the way those affected find support and strength to go on. Social media also improves access to new developments in research and allows companies and non-profit organizations to educate the general public about various conditions and their symptoms.

 

In light of the upcoming Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month (November), let’s take a look at the role social media plays in the global fight against AD.

 

Did you know that searching for health information is the third most popular online activity (after email and search engine use)? With its ability to instantaneously distribute information, including health and wellness data, social media is becoming a great tool to educate the public about Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), its symptoms and current research developments.

 

Through blogs and Facebook pages devoted to the disease, as well as reputable Twitter accounts, primary caregivers and families can learn about their available care options. Social media can encourage caregivers to look into an option they’ve never thought about before and make an informed decision that will allow those affected with AD to face it with the maximum possible comfort and dignity. In addition, knowing more about AD helps fight off many fears and stigmas associated with this disease.

 

Social media connects Alzheimer’s victims and their families to an online community, where they can receive support, share their tips on how to deal with difficult behaviors that accompany AD and, most importantly, know that they are not facing Alzheimer’s alone. In addition, those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s can share their experience first-hand, educating the community in a unique and thought-provoking way.

 

Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects more than 5 million Americans; however, it’s a very personal conditional for everyone affected. Sharing knowledge and experience helps those living with the disease to feel that they are not going through all those challenges on their own — there is always an online community where they can find much-needed support.

Social media is about fostering interaction. Through social networking sites those affected by AD can keep in touch with their family, share important events in their lives and even update their loved ones about the developments of their condition for as long as possible. Being able to connect with family members also brings joy and a feeling of self-worth to Alzheimer’s victims.

 

What is more, Facebook offers a variety of challenging intellectual games that entertain users and exercise their brains. Engaging in mind-stimulating games and activities can lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

 

Not only can social media help educate a wider audience about the disease, but it can also provide a new way for such organizations as the Alzheimer’s Association to raise funds for AD research. In addition, some progressive pharmaceutical companies have started to recruit and manage clinical trials through social media.

 

Although Twitter and Facebook can’t cure a person living with the disease — nothing can so far — they may very well help advance AD studies, which will discover ways to slow down the progression of the disease or even cure it.

 

This fall, Spector & Associates is joining the fight by participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. We invite you to support us in this initiative by registering your own team or donating to the cause. And don’t forget to spread the word through social media.