Alzheimers Unite

Health Campaigns Part 1 & 2

Javiera Nunez, Melissa Sweere, & Daniel Gala

http://alzheimersunite.weebly.com/

Introduction
Dementia is a medically coiled terminology used to describe diseases and conditions that are associated with gradual decay/loss of brain function that could potentially lead to memory

loss, sudden behavioral alteration and loss of cognition (Biology of Alzheimers, 2011). Alzheimers, which is accountable for nearly 80% of all cases of dementia, is characterized by gradual decrease in memory, inability to recall information, lack of physical/mental awareness and myriad others moderate to severe symptoms that can heavily intrude and impose detrimental harm to a person's life (What is Dimentia, 2011). Alzheimers Unite is reaching out to those who might be susceptible to the disease and also those who have family members who are currently suffering. Our objective is to educate this segmented population about the risk factors that are associated with Alzheimers in an effort to eliminate the secondary causes that can contribute to the development of the disease.

Facets of Alzheimers: Biological, social, and environmental.

As defined by the Alzheimers Foundation of America, Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brains nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in a loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes. To understand how this disease takes over the body a few simple biological systems and pathways must first be understood. Neurons, the brain cells through which neurotransmitters fire signals, form humans memories, emotions, and thoughts travel are what are complete destroyed by Alzheimers, in turn destroying the ability to remember. The signals fired are small bursts of chemicals that travel across the synapse to then produce an action, emotion, or memory. When diagnosed with Alzheimers, it is this path that is disrupted and causes the neurons and brain tissue to die. In the first diagram on the below on the left (Alzheimers Association), the tissue that dies in the brain, dies in the areas that are key in planning, remember, and forming new memories. The picture on the right depicts the tangles in the nerves that also occur in dead tissue. There are two types of Alzheimer's, early onset and late onset, both of which are an irreversible genetic mutation. Eventually the body will forget how to do daily functions, such as breathe, swallow, walk and other actions that are vital to live, inevitably leading to death.

Diagram 1: Effects of Alzheimers

Diagram 2: Nerve Cell Tangles

Symptoms of Alzheimers can be placed into seven different stages, keep in mind that these stages are not boxes to place people in, but rather guidelines in which these stages may overlap and differ based on each individual case (Alzheimers Association 2013). The first of these stages is No Impairment, simply diagnosis. Next comes a very mild cognitive decline, one

may forget things but it could still be attributed to aging and is not yet detectable by a doctor. The third stage is only a slightly larger decline in which those who spend a significant time with you may begin to notice. Within the fourth stage a medical interview will be able to clearly detect the disease; you will forget recent events as well as personal history, impaired abilities, and become moody and withdrawn in social situations. It is in stage five that those with Alzheimer's may begin to need assistance with simple tasks such as remember details about themselves, choosing clothing for the season, or being able to remember simple math. The severe decline begins in stage six and seven. In these stages the disease will start to take over almost anything from sleeping at the appropriate time, bladder control, wandering, and forgetting everyday things. In the seventh stage one is no longer able to respond to their environment, move, eat and eventually all of these symptoms will lead to death. Alzheimers, according to a variety of sources including Everyday Health, Science Daily, and the National Center for Biotechnology National Library of Medicine, affects women twice as much as men, making them more susceptible. Not only are women more susceptible but they are also affected differently than men in that they have greater language deficits in naming and recognizing items (Science Daily 2008). Two other etiological factors to consider are, age and genetics. It is clear that despite there being early onset Alzheimers and late onset Alzheimers both do not affect 20 year old humans but rather 40 and older, therefore Alzheimer's affects those who are middle aged and above. On the other hand genetics affect everyone. The third factor in the possibility of developing Alzheimer's is the Alzheimer's Gene. A misconception about the Alzheimer's gene is that if you have the gene you will have Alzheimers, the truth being if you have the Alzheimer's Gene you are simply more susceptible to Alzheimer's. A second misconception is that there is one gene that is associated with Alzheimers but it is actually a variety of genes that are associated with the disease (Mayo 2013)

Rationale for Necessity of Campaign

For every minute on a given day, someone develops Alzheimers in the U.S. Experts predict that by the year 2050, someone will develop Alzheimers disease every 33 seconds (dshs.state.tx), meaning, the 5.2 million Americans of various ages who currently suffer from the disease is expected to triple to anywhere from 13.8 to 16 million patients (Alzheimers Facts and Figures, 2013). Part of reason why the disease is seemingly growing is the fact that it is underdiagnosed (Alzheimers Association, 2013). The underlying reason behind that is the misconception that Alzheimers is solely an old age disease. As a result, some adults may choose to disregard the probability altogether and perceive themselves as less susceptible to such disease. Through a campaign, we will address the importance of seeking diagnosis. Alzheimers Unite would like to address the awareness of the disease through a campaign because we believe the economic, social and the emotional cost of the disease is noteworthy. When compared to other leading causes of death such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and stroke, the mortality rate Alzheimers has skyrocketed in the last decade. Death caused by Alzheimers is expected to continuously rise as the baby-boomers generation ages (Alzheimers Facts and Figures, 2013). A recent study on the mortality rate in the U.S. shows that while death caused by the above illness has dramatically fell from the year 2000 to 2010, the mortality rate for Alzheimers had actually increased by nearly 39 percent (Betzaida Tejada-Vera, 2013). Scientists believe that health hazardous issues such as smoking, obesity, diabetes and hypertension, which are linked to cardiovascular diseases, may increase ones risk of developing Alzheimers disease (Alzheimers

Association, 2013). With this in mind, we feel an appropriate educational campaign is necessary because even though there is not a single cure out there for Alzheimers, educating people about the secondary risk factors that could potentially increase their likelihood of developing the disease can encourage them to engage in health promoting habits and seek diagnosis. We would also like to address the emotional cost of Alzheimers on families. Providing care for a loved who might be suffering from Alzheimer's disease requires extensive care, patience and critical understanding on the progression of the disease. Therefore, a campaign would also enable us to provide support, education and a sense of comfort to those family members in need.

Other Campaigns
C.A.R.E. Campaign for Alzheimers Research in Europe Campaign for Alzheimers Research in Europe is a United Kingdom based charity that is solely looking for a cure, treatment or vaccine that could help Alzheimers. C.A.R.E. takes scientists from all over Europe and charges them to research Alzheimers and bring new light and direction to this horrible disease. This campaign is similar to our campaign in that it has a mission of raising awareness for Alzheimers as well as explaining and showing its effect on the families, friends and on society as a whole. C.A.R.E. focuses mainly on research and research development instead of actually campaigning for the disease. Our campaign will better on this by focusing more on the campaign and raising awareness instead of just research funding. C.A.R.E. does not have any campaign materials. We will also have campaign materials to raise awareness instead of relying solely on word of mouth. End Alzheimers Now The End Alzheimers Now campaign is one of great interest, because it is a similar goal to the campaign that we are doing. Their goal is to spread awareness and care information to families and patients suffering with the disease. Reaching out through events like Alzheimers Prevention Initiative and World Alzheimers day, the campaign created a registry for people to register against Alzheimers. For materials, for the actual campaign, they only have the registry for people to join the initiative (See attached 1). They do offer some posters with facts, figures and information on Alzheimers (see attached 2), but none that relate directly to the campaign itself. Our campaign will improve on this by having more information readily available for people affected, as well as directly reach out to the community to help those affected. Lets talk about Dementia This campaign, Lets Talk About Dementia campaign has the goal to encourage people not to see just dementia in the person, but to see the person for whom they have always been. Spoken by the patient, the campaign works to connect with those affected by the disease by telling personal stories and seeing how others are affected. This campaign uses a variety of materials to affect people. Reaching out through a bright campaign poster (see attached 3), it brings to mind things that many people consider important in life, only to remind the reader that people with this disease once had these memories too. Another way the campaign reaches out is through their Dispelling the Myths brochure (see attached 4), which explains common myths

on Alzheimers and explains why they are wrong. Finally, this campaign offers something unique called BrainBooster. This is where people can visit the website and find healthy ways to maintain a diet that may help put off Dementia, as well as a variety of brain boosting games to keep the mind sharp. This campaign did a great job hitting the nail on the head to raise awareness for Dementia, and giving people the information needed to learn about this disease.

Individual Level- Media Campaign

Specific Goal The goal of the campaign, Alzheimers Unite, is to educate and assist in the psychological coping to those who are susceptible to Alzheimer's and those who have family members who are susceptible or are already suffering from Alzheimers. The approach this campaign will be taking is a cognitive approach. We want a psychological mentality to be set and education to take place. There is not one single action that can stop Alzheimers or prevent it from happening, but by educating oneself on the symptoms and effective treatments it can allow for a more positive environment and healthier life both physically and psychology. However through a cognitive change there can be action taken to learn more about the disease and its components, treatments, and how to mentally deal with its consequences. Cognitive and behavioral will go hand in hand with this approach as we want to instill a cognitive change and from there they can chose to take action in using the new information learned. Audience Profile In finding the target audience for Alzheimers Unite many primary factors were taken into consideration. The first being, who is affected by Alzheimers? Your immediate answer would be old people, this however is far from the truth. Early onset Alzheimers can begin as early as 40s and not only is the person who has Alzheimers affected but their family members from young to old are affected greatly by this disease. As an educative campaign focusing on a cognitive approach our age group for the Target Audience is approximately thirty years of age and older. In having our target audience begin at a younger age we hope to reach the children of those who are being consumed by the disease to therefore educate them on the effects of Alzheimers, help them cope with the effects, and teach them what they can do to help. In considering the demographics of our T.A we do not want to discriminate against sex, gender, or ethnicity as the disease Alzheimers does not discriminate when affecting families. We must be specific in the educational gaps and generational gaps. Our T.A are people who may not have biological background or are well educated on how the disease works, our goal is to close that gap from those who do know and those who do not. Not only do we wish to close this gap of education on Alzheimers but also close an age gap between those who are older and may be experiencing Alzheimer's and those who are younger who may become affected some day not necessarily immediately but it is still important become aware about Alzheimers. What plays into this is the idea of reaching out to younger generations is the idea of the Personal Fable that many younger people believe that they are invincible and that Alzheimers in this case, will not affect them. In considering gender, we will most definitely be reaching out more to women since they are more susceptible than men. As females are very family oriented we feel that in bringing children and their friends into our campaign they will feel surrounded by support. Big Idea and Creative Concept Alzheimers does not just affect one person. This disease affects everyone involved in that persons life. Alzheimers hits home, and Its Personal. Our campaign slogan, Its

Personal embodies the problem with Alzheimers and shows how our campaign is reaching out to families in ways other campaigns before it have not. It is important that everyone involved personally with the person affected with the disease understands what is going on and how they can help. Its Personal creates this understanding. Since the impact of Alzheimers can be felt beyond the vicinity of its core, we want to establish a vibe that can communicate to our audience that were all in this together. Nevermind what the statistics project or what medical researches speculate about the future outlook of Alzheimers. The concept of Its personal leaps beyond this professional scope. We want to provoke an attitude that supports the claim that were all potential victims of Alzheimer's disease. Each and every one of us have a story to share, a voice to be heard and ,collectively, we can overcome the adversities brought forth by Alzheimers within our families and our communities. But we must do so together...That's the epitome of Alzheimers Unite. Voice and Branding When you hear a personal story, do you not feel it tugging at your heart strings? Or how about when you see someone who reminds you of a grandparent? In the voice of the Alzheimers Unite campaign that is what we want. This is a disease that affects families personally and affects grandparents and parents all around the United States. In having the voice and face of this campaign be someone that you can make personal ties with, and that has personal ties themselves it will make the campaign and disease more relatable and not so foreign. In having a positive figure, someone such as grandfather, someone relatable and someone who is seen as wise and respected, it will also allow for a gain frame approach. Although Alzheimers takes away your memory, we do not want to focus on this. Alzheimers unite wants to focus on the positive, on being able to learn how to help yourself and others and how to emotionally and psychologically cope this the effects of Alzheimers. In so doing you will gain knowledge and a positive o utlook, despite Alzheimers being a horrible disease. Branding of Alzheimers Unite we plan on using the brain as the logo, because Alzheimers begins there. In using the brain it draws the attention immediately especially when colored brightly. This brings us to the color scheme of our campaign, Red and Gray. Red has been studied by scientist and been proven in helping recall memories and functions, while the color gray are significant in that Alzheimer's the disease causes gray areas in the brain. Channels and Communicating Campaign We will use various channels to create Alzheimers Unite. First, we will place pamphlets at community centers, senior centers, hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living homes. At these places we will hold community based classes. This is when we reach out to the public with a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional, and teach families and patients how to psychologically cope and take care of someone with Alzheimers, learn about medicine and other options available, and learn how Alzheimer progresses. In order to advertise for these classes we will talk to the different places and have them reach out to people they think would get great use out of the class. We will also create flyers and hand them out at libraries and other community places that get a lot of outreach. Next, we would advertise in the local newspapers, and reach out to those affected through that channel. Finally, to reach our 30-45 year old age group, we will make a facebook page, and spread the word via internet. One of our main focuses will be the community courses for families. It is our belief that for families, especially the younger generations, to understand the disease and its effects

Theory
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) In considering which theory we would approach Alzheimers Unite through to reach our target audiences we chose the Elaboration likelihood model for we felt it would best enable us to reach and fulfil our purpose. This model makes the claim that there are two paths to persuade an audience to do as you want them to, the central route and peripheral route. Both routes begin with the source/channel of communication then here they separate. If going through the central route the focus is on cognitive responses through high involvement processing, which then hopefully allows for a belief and attitude change in turn leading to a behavior change. On the other hand we have the peripheral route which involves low processing and then proceeds in the opposite of central, it wants a belief change, then behavior change to end in an attitude change (as you can see in the chart below). With Alzheimers Unite we can see using both routes. In making Alzheimer's unite Personal, we will be reaching our audiences through low involvement processing which starts with a belief change in that it is personal, and does affect everyone, which will hopefully in turn lead to a behavior change. When looking at the high involvement processing, we will go through education about Alzheimer's to reach our audiences which will in turn allow for belief and attitude change once they understand the disease and its effects. When consider the ELM model we must also take into consideration two factors that influence audience members, motivation and ability (perceived self efficacy). An audience member must be motivated in the correct manner to then perceive themselves to have the ability to take charge and make a change either in their behavior or attitude. By making our campaign slogan Its personal and then using our edutainment idea of a soap opera/show we will be displaying how it can affect you personally.

Effectiveness
Media Campaign We will evaluate how effective our media campaign is by seeing our numbers in the classroom. If we get a large turnout of families and people affected by Alzheimers in our classroom for teaching, then we know that we have effectively reached out via media. We can

also evaluate our effectiveness through a survey, and ask how people found out about our campaign and if they were touched through our media campaign. Furthermore, the hits on our website will show how many people we are reaching and if our campaign is reaching the people we want to reach.

Edutainment Intervention
Alzheimers Unite is a mechanism of hope, support and collective efficacy. We believe the community is the nucleus that can generate the components of success to our its Personal campaign. With that being said, there is so much we can do to enhance the aggressive nature of our community based intervention and its goals. And for that reason, we decided to construct an Edutainment intervention that can truly reflect and strengthened the trajectory of our campaign. For this particular Campaign, we want to raise awareness and educate our designated communities regarding the overlooked impacts of Alzheimers disease from a familial standpoint. The implication of the ripple effect is a key element to our edutainment approach; its a notion that states, The repercussions of an event or situation can be experienced far beyond its immediate location (The Free Dictionary 2013). With this in mind, we decided to take a theatrical approach towards executing our edutainment intervention. Though television is arguably the most popular way to embed a health education message in an entertainment format, it is not the only effective form of edutainment. Consequently, the idea of factoring mass media into our community-driven intervention coincides with our its personal approach. Our edutainment intervention must enable us to physically immerse ourselves in each community we target at a personal level. We want to be able to ignite collective discussions, share stories and reflect upon our experiences with Alzheimers disease with our intended audience. For these reasons, we feel a professionally scripted theatrical play can enhance this edutainment vision. Given a reasonable income to implement this project, we will hire reputable actors and actresses and with the help of a talented playwright, we can create a dramatic, action-filled, yet education piece that can be both informing and entertaining. A tragic Drama about a mother who had been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease and how the progression and the worsening of her symptoms affected each member in her immediate and extended family. The dilemma eventually lead to a devastating divorce which ultimately divided the family and scarred multiple interpersonal relationships. This is just a general overview but the overall message we want to get across is that Alzheimers is a serious disease. You may not be the unfortunate victim of Alzheimers, but that doesnt mean you wont be affected. When Alzheimers strikes a family, the impact is transferable. And if proper coping and basic knowledge about the phase of the disease is absent, ramifications could magnify. In an effort to engage the audience and fulfill our persona, after the Play is over we would introduce ourselves as professionals before the audience and reflect on the play. In addition, we would also share personal stories about how Alzheimers affects our own lives and what lessons must be learned when it comes to coping and dealing with a family member or a friend who might be suffering from the disease. Keep in mind, this doesnt have to be a celebrities-exclusive play in Broadway theatre. In fact, we want to operate within community level theatres in the early stages of our campaign. In order to empower our edutainment project, we would also notify the local newspapers in advance so that our play could earn a spot in the Entertainment section of the daily paper for promotion purposes. The theatrical approach enables us to be very flexible in terms of transporting our campaign from one corner to another. As long as there is a playhouse, we can hire actors and

actresses to work with us. Likewise, if we continue to sell tickets from one community to another, it would be an indication of success.

Citations "7 Stages of Alzheimer's & Symptoms | Alzheimer's Association." 7 Stages of Alzheimer's & Symptoms | Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimers Association, 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. <http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_stages_of_alzheimers.asp>. "Alzheimer's Changes the Brain - Alzheimer's Association." Alzheimer's Changes the Brain Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimers Association, 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. <http://www.alz.org/braintour/alzheimers_changes.asp>. "Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Fact Sheet." National Institute on Aging. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral, June 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-genetics-fact-sheet>. Alzheimers Disease-Questions and Answers. Texas department of State Health Services. 14 May. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. <http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/alzheimers/qanda.shtm> "C.A.R.E. Campaigns for Alzheimer's Research in Europe ."C.A.R.E.. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec 2013. <http://www.alzheimerscare-eu.org/index.asp>. "End Alzheimer's Now." End Alzheimer's Now. (2013): 1. page. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://www.endalznow.org/>. "Let's Talk About Dementia." Let's Talk About Dementia. (2011): 1. page. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://www.alzheimer.ca/letstalkaboutdementia>. Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Alzheimer's Genes: Are You at Risk?" Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 09 Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alzheimers-genes/AZ00047>. Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR). "Alzheimers Disease: Women Affected More Often Than Men." ScienceDaily, 22 Dec. 2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081220085057.htm>. Understanding the Biology of the Alzheimers Disease and the Aging Brain. National Institution on Again. Dec.2012.Web. 16 Oct. 2013. <www.nia.nih.gov/print/alzheimerspublication/2011-2012-alzheimers-disease-progress-report>