What Every American Should Know About Alzheimer’s

The Baby Boomer generation start to turn 65 this year, and the implications of longevity are likely to affect the Baby Boomers such that, the Alzheimer’s Association are calling the Baby Boomers the ‘Alzheimer’s Generation’.

Death rates for many other major diseases are now in decline, whereas Alzheimer’s is the only top ten cause of death that still has no way to effectively prevent, treat or slow its degenerative nature.  It is a sad affliction that not only results ultimately in death, but robs people of their life – their memories, their mind, everything important about ‘being’.  It destroys the individual and is heartbreaking to family who become caregivers to parents that cannot even recollect who they are.

In the United States, Alzheimer’s ranks as the 6th leading cause of death, with over 5.3 million people currently suffering.  It costs our nation over $172 billion annually, with nearly 11 million Americans acting as unpaid caregivers to someone with the disease. With the impending “aging tsunami” unfolding, it is anticipated that around 10 million Baby Boomers will end up developing Alzheimer’s.  It is expected that of those who reach the age of 85, nearly one in two will get it.  By 2050, current population trends indicate that there will as many as 16 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s.

• an American Baby Boomer will turn 65 every 8 seconds from 2011
• and every 70 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s
• the number of Americans dying each year from the disease has risen 66% in the last 10 years
• for every $100 the US Government spends on Alzheimer’s research – it spends at least $25,000 on care for people needing dementia care

Yet despite this apparent dementia crisis, our government appears to be doing very little to address an illness that will affect nearly every American in years to come.  Nowhere near enough money is being invested into researching the disease, as you can see from the 2011 National Institutes of Health Research chart, the disease is significantly under-funded compared to other major diseases.

As a victim of the disease, most people survive on average for 4 – 6 years, but often some victims live for as long as 20 years after a diagnosis.  It is a devastating disease, that leaves an individual totally unable to care for themselves, as the disease progresses it robs one completely of your humanity. 

Alzheimer’s is crippling to those who suffer the disease, and those who become caregivers.  It is crippling emotionally and financially, and yet like death, is something we are little prepared for until it strikes.

What needs to happen?  Much, much more must be invested now into scientific research and preventative treatment.  There is a real concern within medical research that many of the revered scientists in the field will not continue to study Alzheimer’s without an increased level of funding being invested. 

The financial implications for our nation are dire.  Today, our government spends about $172 billion in dementia care.  Looking at the trajectory of the aging of the Baby Boomers, these costs could reach over $1 trillion by 2050 – bringing our great, modern civilization to its knees, as nearly half of all dementia care costs are met by Medicare.

What can you do?  Learn more about Alzheimer’s, consider what plans you have in place should it afflict you and your family.  Can someone give up his or her employment to become a full-time caregiver?  Do you have provision to meet care costs? Do you understand the early signs of Alzheimer’s?

Ultimately, we all need to take action and press for more to be done to combat this disease.