---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People do not realize that Alzheimer's is…"
description: "\"People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease, and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer's ever..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/melina-kanakaredes-42416_age_people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-i_16136.png"
---

#  People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It…

![“People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease, and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer's every day.” quote by Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/melina-kanakaredes-42416_age_people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-i_16136.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/melina-kanakaredes-42416_age_people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-i_16136.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/melina-kanakaredes-42416_age_people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-i_16136.png)

> “People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease, and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer's every day.”

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Alzheimer's is a distinct, worsening disease, not a normal part of aging, affecting many individuals daily.

**In simple terms:** Alzheimer's is a disease, not aging.

Key Takeaway

Distinguish disease from normal aging.

Themes

Health awareness Aging misconceptions Neurodegeneration Public education Stigma reduction

Mood

Concern Urgency Compassion

Type

Awareness Educational Advocacy

When to use this quote

- Patient counseling
- Family support groups
- Medical training
- Public health campaigns
- Policy advocacy

Key Concepts

Disease progression Mortality Epidemiology Misconception

Practical Applications

- Develop educational materials
- Design early‑screening programs

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we better communicate the difference between normal aging and Alzheimer's?
- What steps can society take to support those diagnosed?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Alzheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alzheimer/) [Alzheimer 's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alzheimer-s/) [Dementia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dementia/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [I loved my husband very much, and it was heartbreaking to have him develop Alzheimer's disease, and to stand by and watch him decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/i-loved-my-husband-very-much-and-it-was-heartbreaking-to-have-him/)

[Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/)

> [“ApoE ε2 is relatively rare, but if you inherit this allele, you’re more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease later in life. ApoE ε3 is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/apoe-2-is-relatively-rare-but-if-you-inherit-this-allele-you-re-more/)

[David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/)

> [Some of my best friends are Venture Capitalists, but let's face it, a hamster with Alzheimer's could make those kind of numbers. It's great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/some-of-my-best-friends-are-venture-capitalists-but-let-s-face-it-a/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [You're young forever when you write. Alfred Hitchcock directed until the day he died. As long as you don't have any dementia or Alzheimer's,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/you-re-young-forever-when-you-write-alfred-hitchcock-directed-until/)

[Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/)

> [If you don't have imagination, you stop being human; animals don't have imagination; Alzheimer's is the death of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/if-you-don-t-have-imagination-you-stop-being-human-animals-don-t-have/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [ I \[...\] vowed that rather than let Alzheimer's take me, I would take it. I would live my life as ever to the full… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-vowed-that-rather-than-let-alzheimer-s-take-me-i-would-take-it-i/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I think I'm getting a little bit of Alzheimer's. Just a little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-think-i-m-getting-a-little-bit-of-alzheimer-s-just-a-little/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [The simplest way to look at all these associations, between obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and Alzheimer's (not to mention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-taubes/the-simplest-way-to-look-at-all-these-associations-between-obesity/)

[Gary Taubes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-taubes/)

> [It occurred to me that at one point it was like I had two diseases - one was Alzheimers, and the other was knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-occurred-to-me-that-at-one-point-it-was-like-i-had-two-diseases/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I regard music therapy as a tool of great power in many neurological disorders -- Parkinson's and Alzheimer's -- because of its unique capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/i-regard-music-therapy-as-a-tool-of-great-power-in-many-neurological/)

[Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/)

> [I am saddened when I hear these words -this is not the person I knew - because those words objectify the person suffering from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-demarco/i-am-saddened-when-i-hear-these-words-this-is-not-the-person-i-knew/)

Bob DeMarco

> [I'm in awe of people out there who deal with Alzheimer's, because they have to deal with death 10 times over, year after year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-wallace/i-m-in-awe-of-people-out-there-who-deal-with-alzheimer-s-because-they/)

[Marcia Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-wallace/)

> [You don't just wake up one day with dementia or Alzheimer's; these conditions are developmental. Even when a problem triggers the need to collect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-le/you-don-t-just-wake-up-one-day-with-dementia-or-alzheimer-s-these/)

[Tan Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-le/)

> [I have a particular passion and focus on Alzheimer's and diseases of dementia. There's just so much scientifically that we don't know, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-d-white/i-have-a-particular-passion-and-focus-on-alzheimer-s-and-diseases-of/)

[Miles D. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-d-white/)

> [Today is the best day I could ever have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-dees/today-is-the-best-day-i-could-ever-have/)

[Rick Dees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-dees/)

## More by Melina Kanakaredes

> [When youre the lead actor in a drama, you have 2 1/2 months at the end of a season to do other projects, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/when-youre-the-lead-actor-in-a-drama-you-have-2-1-2-months-at-the-end/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [It's a wonderful time when you sit down around the table for dinner and discuss life. No matter where you are, it gives the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/it-s-a-wonderful-time-when-you-sit-down-around-the-table-for-dinner/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [My grandfather always told me, You know youre American first, but youre a Greek-American, which makes you a better American. It sounds sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/my-grandfather-always-told-me-you-know-youre-american-first-but-youre/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [Don't be embarrassed of who you are, they're gonna judge you no matter what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/don-t-be-embarrassed-of-who-you-are-they-re-gonna-judge-you-no-matter/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [Ultimately, my greatest achievement is maintaining my career while sustaining a happy marriage and kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/ultimately-my-greatest-achievement-is-maintaining-my-career-while/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [You gotta think positive, you know. Make the obstacles opportunities. Thats my philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/you-gotta-think-positive-you-know-make-the-obstacles-opportunities/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [As the lead actor, you naturally get involved with a show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/as-the-lead-actor-you-naturally-get-involved-with-a-show/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [If you keep changing for every person who tells you to, then who's going to be left? Why get the success and be somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/if-you-keep-changing-for-every-person-who-tells-you-to-then-who-s/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

> [I have a lot of wonderful women in my life and each one means so much to me. That's why I'm passionate about finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/i-have-a-lot-of-wonderful-women-in-my-life-and-each-one-means-so-much/)

[Melina Kanakaredes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

[Explore all 10 Melina Kanakaredes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease, and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer's every day.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Melina Kanakaredes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-is-not-old-age-it-is-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-is-not-old-age-it-is-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/melina-kanakaredes-42416_age_people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-i_16136.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/melina-kanakaredes-42416_age_people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-i_16136.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/melina-kanakaredes-42416_age_people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-i_16136.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease, and staggering…” — Melina Kanakaredes",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Melina Kanakaredes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-kanakaredes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "People do not realize that Alzheimer's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-is-not-old-age-it-is-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-kanakaredes/people-do-not-realize-that-alzheimer-s-is-not-old-age-it-is-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
