Socio-Economic Effects Of Alzheimer's: A Case Study

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 65–70% of all cases (Jellinger, Janetzky, Attems, & Kienzl, 2008). The other dementias are of the Parkinson 's group, the fronto-temporal group and the vascular group. The total worldwide yearly costs for the treatment and care of patients suffering from dementia are estimated to be around 250 billion US dollars. The lifetime risk for AD between the ages of 65 and 100 is 33% for men and 45% for women with an annual increase of 1–2% in the seventh decade to almost 60% in the 10th decade with doubling every 5 years (Jellinger et al., 2008). AD is incurable, and thus represents a major public health problem. AD represents a challenge to humanity due to its relatively recent discovery, progressive nature of the illness, and complex diagnosis.

Patients who suffer from AD also have their memory, ability to learn and to carry out activities affected. Since, AD is not just dementia related there is also another aspect to the disease that causes “progressive neurodegeneration” (Chen). The symptoms of AD are usually slow, but they get worse over time and start to affect your daily life. The majority of people affected by AD are aged 65 and older. If a family member has AD then future generations from that family member are more likely to have AD. This is a very important disease to try to find a cure because “by 2050 as many as 115 million people worldwide will have developed dementia“ (Chen). As of right now “AD affects more than 5 million people in the U.S. alone” (Chen). This creates a huge burden on the family because it leaves their loved ones unable to function alone or to be able to do anything alone. This puts the burden on the family because then they need to find the patient a home to live in to be taken care of or they have to bring the patient in to their home and take care of the patient 24/7. People suffering from AD need to be attended to at all times of the day and constantly reminded why and what they’re doing. This affects a family because then they’re not able to do their daily routines or continue to live their normal lives. The reason is because all of their energy needs to be focused on the family member suffering form the

By the numbers, Alzheimer’s disease looks even worse than it may be. The cost of Alzheimer’s overwhelms the caregiver and everyone involved with the patient. The price businesses pay for Alzheimer’s it detrimental to their industry, show by “A 2002 study showed that United States businesses lost $36.5 billion that year because employees missed work or quit and had to be replaced so that they could care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease” (Adams 24). The caregivers play vital roles in the lives of the sufferer, but the business take an even heavier loss. Heath care is necessary for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, however it can get expensive “The costs of

A major devastating and debilitating disease, Alzheimer 's is a public health issue that affects not only the United States but also countries all around the world. In 2010, there were 35.6 million people living with Alzheimer’s. Researchers and medical personnel expect this number to triple by the year 2050. The disease is costing America an exorbitant amount of money and has become a burden on families, caregivers, medical personnel, the healthcare system, and the nation’s economy. If attention is not focused on this major problem, “nursing homes will be overloaded, caregivers will be burned out, healthcare system will be overwhelmed, and federal and state budgets will be overtaxed” (Alzheimer’s Association, 2011).

Providing care for a person with dementia is like being on a roller coaster ride that never ends and the ride can make the caregiver sick. In order to discuss dementia caregiving, a definition of dementia and the impacts of dementia are needed. Dementia is the generic term used by health care professionals to describe a person’s symptoms of memory and judgment issues (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015b) and furthermore is a growing problem in the United States of America (USA) and around the world. Currently 5.3 million people in the USA have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, and dementia numbers are expected to increase by 40% in the next decade (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015a). Dementia care is

Everyday more and more people are effected by dementia. This disease is taking over the lives of innocent people around the world. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources have designed The National Plan to Address Alzheimer’ Disease. This plan focuses on many important areas greatly affected by this irreversible disease and concentrates on the struggles one faces during its presence. I found three areas to be very important to the future of Alzheimer’s and other dementias; Expand research aimed to identify and treat Alzheimer’s, Educate and support people with Alzheimer’s and their families upon diagnosis, and Enable family caregivers to continue to provide care while maintaining their own health and well-being.

It is a complex disease people often times do not know how to care for. Although a decline in memory and bouts of more forgetfulness are more common as one ages, spotting the difference between normal age-related symptoms and Alzheimer’s is important for families so that they can get their loved one the best care available. Even with proper care though, caregivers can misunderstand the symptoms of those afflicted, leading to an improper treatment of the patient. There are an estimated between 2.4 and 3.1. million AD caregivers in the United States, a majority of which are family members, who may not know proper care techniques or may be of older age themselves, as they could be caring for a spouse (Schulz and O’Brien1, 185-94). In fact, in a study of caregivers of those to patients with a memory ailment including Alzheimer’s or Dementia found that spouses have consistently been found to be more depressed than other relatives caring for a family member with a cognitive impairment (Schulz and O’Brien2, 771-91). To help in awareness, there are many new classes being offered in schools that can better prepare caregivers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s (DHHS) National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease dedicated a major goal to “Enhance Care Quality and Efficiency,” with major strategies including building a workforce with the skills to provide high quality care, explore

Observing the situation as a whole, wandering, patience, and finding ways to mitigate challenges associated with dementia are all important factors. As individuals with dementia age, things will often decline over a period of time. It is not only important for the nursing staff, but also families to be become aware of the challenges associated with working with dementia residents. In order to become more aware, we will have a better chance at delivering better client care and quality of life for the individuals with dementia. this is evident around the topic of falling and forgetting to use a walker. It is in these times where the resident is most at risk. During on of my first shifts at Providence Place, I was informed that

Of the 5.3 million Americans with Alzheimer 's, an estimated 5.1 million people are age 65 and older, and

More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s(“What is Alzheimer’s?). Alzheimer’s is a disease that progessively worsens and eventually kills brain cells. The damaged brain cells lead to memory loss and trouble with cognitive thinking. Alzheimer’s deteriorates the brain slowly. Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are treatments. The treatmeants can’t reverse the damaged cells, but the process can be slowed. Placing a patient with Alzheimer’s in a long-term care facility is best for the patient’s health and well-being, because Alzheimer’s patients require around the clock care, caregivers will be overworked tending to

More than 5 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer's disease, a number that will grow to 13.4 million by 2050. Health experts estimate that a 65-year-old has a 10% risk of developing Alzheimer's and that baby boomers currently approaching peak age for the disease (60 to 80) will add $627 billion in Alzheimer's-related health care costs to Medicare. There is a considerable psychological price tag too, for patients and caregivers alike--and a fear factor. In a recent poll conducted for The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Takes On Alzheimer's, 84% of adults surveyed were concerned that they or someone in their family would be affected by the disease. That fear is compounded by the belief that research for Alzheimer's is lagging behind

Dementia can have a detrimental impact on takes a devastating toll on carers, affecting both their physiological and psychological wellbeing. According to the a poll, administered by the Alzheimer’s Association (2016) in the US, which questioned 3,102 adults in America about their attitudes, knowledge and experiences related to Alzheimer’s disease –, about 60 percent of carers of people with dementia carers rated their emotional stress of caring as high or very high, nearly 40 percent said they suffer from depression Aand approximately 74 percent said they are "somewhat" to "very" concerned about maintaining their own health .

Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that progresses over time and destroys important mental functions and involves memory loss. The disease usually occurs in elders ages 60 or older and the further the stages in the disease, the worse it gets. The entire health care system, family, friends, and the person with the disease are all greatly affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a major issue from a public health perspective because it is one of the most expensive medical conditions in the United States. People can live with Alzheimer’s for quite a long time, but they need care while living, so the cost continues to add up as people with Alzheimer’s continue to live, but having no way of functioning on

Alzheimer’s disease affects an astounding number of people in the U.S and majority of those are senior citizens, which has a significant impact on the economics of the health care system. Many people over 65 use Medicare insurance to pay for their Alzheimer’s expenses, and some use Medicaid, which puts the cost on the health care economy even higher. In 2015, the direct costs to American society of caring for those with Alzheimer 's specifically, will total an estimated 226 billion dollars, with half of the costs paid by Medicare (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Included in these costs are expensive diagnostic testing, psychological evaluations, treatment and maintenance, nursing care, medications and long-term care facilities. In addition to the necessary cost involved in caring for the patients, millions of dollars are put forth for research of this disease, because Scientists are still working on a cure. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer 's disease may nearly triple, from 5.1 million to a projected 13.8 million, without the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent or cure the disease (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015).

The older adult population in the United States has steadily increased thanks to technology and medical advances. While this definitely is an undeniable achievement, it also creates some challenges that society was not as prevalent to face before. Now that people are living longer it’s also means that often times family members are becoming caregivers to their loved ones during their so called golden years. Not only may it be difficult to care for a loved one, but it also becomes even more burdensome when their loved has a disability. In fact “dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide.” (2016). Fortunately there are adult day centers that serve people with dementia and provide services that can benefit them. However many times caregivers are forgotten about and aren’t provided services that can also benefit them as well. While it does take a bit of pressure off of the caregivers while their loved ones are at the day center, it does not eliminate all the other effects. Many people may not be aware that there are detrimental effects that a caregiver may experience as a result of caring for someone with dementia.