According to the ALzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease affected over five million Americans in 2015.

It’s just one of many types of dementia. That particular illness slowly damages the brain over time before eventually causing death in a victim, but dementia itself can simply involve memory loss.

Nearly 90,000 Minnesotans have dementia, and with funding coming from the Minnesota legislature to the Northwoods Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers Program and 19 other organizations across the state, education and early detection possibilities, such as memory screening, can take shape.

Northwoods hopes to expand its coverage to assist Native American elders who deal with dementia.

Learn more about the story here.

By — Jackson Brunner