The burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will double in scope, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers.

Currently 130,000 individuals live with dementia in Arizona. The number swells to 5.7 million when cases nationally are counted.

“Here’s the scary thing we all should be worried about. In the blink of an eye, in 2050 that number is projected to rise to nearly 15 million,” said Ken Jaeger, founder of MorningStar Senior Living.

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and, eventually, a person’s ability to perform even the most simple tasks, such as bathing, eating and dressing.

“Alzheimer’s kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined,” Jaeger explained. “We need to start paying attention to it.”

Jaeger said he believes funding for research and education should be increased.

“The biggest problem with trying to find a cure is that nobody knows what causes it,” he said. “If you don’t know what causes the disease, you have a hard time curing it.”

Jaeger’s company builds and operates senior living and memory care communities. MorningStar on Paul Nordin Parkway is one of 22 existing facilities, mostly clustered in the western part of the United States. Another eight are in various stages of construction.

The corporate office is in Denver, where Jaeger lives.

During a local visit, Jaeger discussed his company’s core values responding to the surge in dementia, providing the best care possible for seniors and honoring God as its business model.

“We are not scientists. We aren’t doctors. Our part is to design a program, which we call Lavender Sky; develop relationships with residents to become their extended family, and to love them and bring out their inner beauty,” said Jaeger.

“We are one of those companies who believe it is more important to live out your mission statement versus having words on a piece of paper stuck to a wall.”

Jaeger added that, even though a resident may have memory loss, “deep down inside, they have feelings like you and me. Our job is to bring out those feelings through human love just like they did not have the disease.

“We treat them with dignity, respect and honor them for where they are today.”

When hiring employees, MorningStar recruits individuals who share the company’s core values: goodness, honesty, kindness, joy, love, peace and gentleness.

“When we put those core values into practice, all of a sudden residents come alive,” said Jaeger.

MorningStar human resources staffers recruit team members who, on their way to work, “think whose life can I touch for the better today,” he said.

“If you’re thinking about whose life you can touch for the better, you’re living a life with a purpose.”