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America 's Elder Population Is Living Longer

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America 's elder population is living longer. Current data trends show that 46.2 million people living in America are age 65 and older (Millennials Outnumber Baby Boomers ",2015). Research shows the life expectancy of the average American woman is 81.2 years of age. Although advancements in medicine continue to evolve there remains one condition which impedes the quality of life for this growing population. Dementia, an Alzheimer 's related condition which hinders the quality of life for 3.2 million woman in the United States ("Latest Alzheimer 's Facts",2013). To date, there are no effective treatments available to cure dementia, however efforts are being made to alleviate aggression, depression and sleep disturbances associated with the disease. Current treatment options for the symptoms of dementia often leave those affected with serious side effects. In an effort to reduce the side effect of antipsychotic and anxiolytics medications, families are beginning to look at other controversial treatment options. One such treatment being researched is the use of medical marijuana. Its estimated that approximately one in 14 people, in the United States, are currently living with dementia ("Understanding Dementia", 2014) with women being disproportionally affected over their male counter parts. Dementia, is a general term used to describe symptoms of Alzheimer 's, which manifest in deficits in cognitive functioning, reasoning abilities and causes disruptions in daily life

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