June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and Marion County Public health is reminding the community of the importance of brain health.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 55 million people are living with the disease that drastically affects your brain. There are many symptoms that may be noticeable for someone who may be suffering from the disease, including memory loss, difficulty completing familiar tasks, confusion with time or place, misplacing items and the inability to retrace steps and more. Judi Van Hulzen is a nurse with Marion County Public Health, who runs a coalition to support the disease, and she says there are many ways you can take care of brain health now.

“There are things you can do to maintain your brain health. If you smoke, stop. Know your number and control them, blood pressure. Manage your diabetes. Know your cholesterol numbers. Manage a healthy weight and eat right. Eat a lot of veggies and those leaner meats with less processed food, and limit your alcohol.”

There is also a new group in the county called the Dementia Friendly Action Team, who is working to establish Marion County as a dementia friendly community by providing training and access to information. Hear more from Van Hulzen about Alzheimer’s Awareness Week on today’s Let’s Talk Knoxville.