The newly released Caregiving in the U.S. 2025 report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving paints a clear and sobering picture: 63 million Americans—nearly 1 in 4 adults—are now providing care to someone with a serious health condition or disability. This represents a 45% increase since 2015 and reflects a caregiving landscape that is larger, more diverse, and more complex than at any time in our nation’s history. 

June is Brain Awareness Month, spearheaded by the Alzheimer's Association, and it's a crucial time to focus on maintaining and improving brain health. Understanding how to keep our brains healthy can help reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Integrating knowledge from research, global health phenomena like the Blue Zones, and resources from the Alzheimer's Association can provide us with a holistic approach to brain wellness.

Having a sense of purpose and a community network in which to provide these avenues seems to be important for brain health, an important component of aging well. But aging well starts with more basic work.  Some of these include: