It's that time of year again. Thank you all for supporting me in the past. Once again I am asking you to support my efforts to raise funds for a worthwhile cause, the Alzheimer's Association. Calpine has chosen four amazing charities to contribute to this year and I have selected this one. Alzheimer's is the only disease among the top 10 causes of death in America that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Alzheimer's is a devastating disease that attacks the brain and is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. This disease not only causes memory loss but impacts behavior and the ability to do things that many of us take for granted. Formed in 1980, the Alzheimer's Association advances research to end Alzheimer's and Dementia while enhancing care for those living with the disease. November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness and family caregiver’s month. So please make a contribution to assist those living with this devastating disease. For more information about this disease please visit http://www.alz.org/.

Among people age 70, 61 percent of those with Alzheimer's are expected to die before the age of 80 compared with 30 percent of people without Alzheimer's — a rate twice as high.

Alzheimer's disease is officially listed as the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. It is the fifth-leading cause of death for people age 65 and older. As the population of the United States ages, Alzheimer's is becoming a more common cause of death. Although deaths from other major causes have decreased significantly in the last decade, deaths from Alzheimer's disease have increased significantly — 71 percent. In 2013, over 84,000 Americans died from Alzheimer's according to official death certificates; however, in 2016, an estimated 700,000 people with Alzheimer's will die, and the disease likely will contribute to many of those deaths.