As the demographics of our society shift, and more people will be 50 or older, will communities shift their thinking accordingly? Will our communities - our parks, roadways, schools and businesses - be designed with a better understanding of the population? Will we stop creating systems with funding and political agendas that separate people by their age? Will we embrace the natural process of aging and learn to enjoy what is worth enjoying while accepting the inevitability of time marching on?

Communities in the 21st century are faced with difficult questions about how to live. We are challenged to keep our cities and towns safe, enjoyable and livable in a time of increasing world-view thinking that can make our local issues seem insignificant. With so much of life being performed on a global stage, local communities must figure out how to still connect with in-the-flesh neighbors. Can we rekindle the village mentality of caring for one another instead of seeing things as either "us" or "not us," relevant or irrelevant?

What if members of our village are struggling privately with their issues so that we don't even know that they need help and connection? Families coping with Alzheimer's and other dementias have joined a community that often keeps their secret from the rest of us. It is as if everyone, including the family, believes the person affected with the disease or the family is to blame for the illness.

Statistically, there are currently 2,400 people living in Humboldt and Del Norte counties with Alzheimer's or another type of dementia. By the year 2050, we expect this number to grow to as many as 7,500. As more people live into their 80s when their statistical chance of having Alzheimer's or another type of dementia will be close to 50 percent, will we be able to provide the kind of compassionate care deserved by these elders and desperately needed by their families?

Will we be able to come together as a community to say to these people "We know this isn't your fault. What can we do to help you and your family?" What will you do to help your neighbors? What do you want your government to do? It is not too soon for our communities and policy makers to grapple with these questions.

Many families suffer in silence, not realizing that there is a larger community of friends, neighbors and professionals available to them. Working together, we can expand this community of caring to provide tangible support, care and respect to families and people devastated by this disease.