Proclamation
WHEREAS, the month of June 2025 has been declared Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month to help educate the public on this debilitating disease and the need to increase efforts to combat its human and economic costs; and WHEREAS, The summer solstice, June 20, 2025, has been declared The Longest Day, with people around the world coming together to honor the strength, passion, and endurance of people facing Alzheimer's disease with a day of activity and advocacy; and WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder, tragically robs individuals of their memories and leads to cognitive decline resulting in functional, emotional, and behavioral impairment; and WHEREAS, California has 719,700 residents living with Alzheimer's disease, more than any other state in the nation, and WHEREAS, Merced County had 3,666 residents living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019 and that number is expected to grow by 121% by 2040, and WHEREAS, Research published by the California Department of Public Health in 2021 indicates that over the next 20 years, the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia will increase dramatically. While the population of California will expand by 16 percent, the population of people living with Alzheimer’s will expand by 127 percent, and WHEREAS, Research on the expansion of people living with Alzheimer’s showed communities of color will shoulder a disproportionate share of the increase in prevalence of Alzheimer’s. The number of Latinx or Hispanic Californians living with Alzheimer’s will more than triple, while the number of Black Californians living with Alzheimer’s will nearly triple by 2040. Additionally, the number of Asian American or Pacific Islanders living with Alzheimer’s will more than double, and WHEREAS, Californians with dementia visit emergency departments nearly one million times per year and are readmitted to the hospital one out of five times after discharge; and WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is always fatal, and dementia is the second leading cause of death in California today; and WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is a family disease impacting 1,373,000 California spouses, partners, children, siblings, grandchildren, and other relatives who provide unpaid assistance to a loved one; and WHEREAS, California caregivers devote 1,864,000,000 hours of unpaid assistance to family members, valued at over $44,272,000,000 in non-government financial support; and WHEREAS, California's 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey found that 27.1 percent of people with memory problems in California live alone; and WHEREAS, On average, a person with Alzheimer's disease lives 4 to 8 years after diagnosis, but may live as long as 20 years, depending on other factors; and WHEREAS, Age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, which has no known cause, cure, or prevention; and WHEREAS, Individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers need acknowledgment, support, and services to meet their needs over the lengthy progression of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias; and NOW, THEREFORE, I, MATTHEW SERRATTO, Mayor of the City of Merced hereby proclaim June 2025 as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month and Tuesday, June 20, 2025, as The Longest Day, and urges all Californians to commemorate the month of June 2025 as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month.
Signed this 2nd day of June 2025.
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Matthew Serratto, Mayor of Merced