Baltimore, MD (November 2009)- As the baby boom generation ages and life spans increase, the number of Americans affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is expected to grow dramatically from 5.2 million people in 2008 to between 11 and 16 million by 2050. Recent studies indicate that Hispanics, the country's fastest growing minority, face an even greater risk of developing the disease. As many as 1.3 million Latinos in the U.S. will be affected by Alzheimer's by 2050.

Family caregivers and friends provide the majority of care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease, especially during the early years after diagnosis. Los Mejores Amigos en el Cuidado de Alzheimer, a 2009 Mature Media Award-Winning book, is now available to help these caregivers. For more than a decade, the care philosophy described in the book The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care has helped tens of thousands of health care professionals and family members provide supportive care to people with dementia. Now translated into Spanish, Los Mejores Amigos en el Cuidado de Alzheimer describes how the essential elements of friendship--respect, empathy, support, trust, and humor--can ensure the highest quality of care and make daily activities more rewarding for both dementia caregivers and care recipients. "Thousands of families have read this book [in English]. By putting into practice what they learned, they have discovered that much can be done to improve the lives of their loved ones," says Lilia Mendoza, founder of the Mexican Alzheimer's Society in the book's introduction.

The book's authors are two Alzheimer's experts with more than 40 years' combined experience in the field. Virginia Bell, M.S.W., is Program Consultant for the Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association in Lexington. David Troxel, M.P.H., is a private consultant to the long-term care industry and Program Consultant to the California Central Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.

Publication of Los Mejores Amigos en el Cuidado de Alzheimer was supported in part by a grant from the Mary Oakley Foundation, Inc., in Santa Barbara, California.