Forgetting the Past, Focusing on the Future:
How Alzheimer’s in the Aging Population Effects Health Care Today
Within the next forty years, the United States will spend over $20 trillion dollars in total for patient’s with Alzheimer 's (Johns). As the population ages, people become continuously more at risk for Alzheimer’s and other dementias; therefore, it remains crucial to learn about the effects of the aging population and Alzheimer’s on health care today. With the baby boomer generation reaching ages where care and assistance is necessary, the healthcare field must adapt to accommodate to their needs. By 2030, there will be twice as many geriatric people in the United States (Johns). In fact, 19 million Americans will turn 65
…show more content…
For every $31,000 that is spent on Alzheimer’s care, only $100 is spent on researching it. While researching this disease is a costly process, caring for these patients could prove to be even more expensive. In 2012, two hundred billion dollars were spent directly on health care for all these individuals. Furthermore, dementia and Alzheimer’s patients spend three times more on Medicare than those without. Patients with Alzheimer’s also tend to have more expensive bills with the addition of any other disease or condition because the combination of treatments may create certain restrictions that are costly to work around. (Johns) Alzheimer’s needs more funding in order to find ways to prevent this disease in the future because the number of patients and medical costs will increase rapidly. Not only does Alzheimer’s impact the patients and their families, it also affects the medical personnel caring for them. Caretakers develop personal connections to their patients, especially their Alzheimer’s patients because they typically live in long-term care for longer periods of time. Over 60% of these employees agree that working with dementia patients can feel stressful, and because of this stress, these workers paid almost $9 billion in personal health expenses in 2011. In fact, one third of these employees admit they have signs of depression. (Johns) New methods for assisting these patients must be
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.
This report provides detailed information regarding the Alzheimer’s disease, and how it affects the individual as a person. It examines the facts and statistics of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as cover the survival rate. It covers the cognitive impacts that Alzheimer’s has on the individual, and also the emotional profiles of each of its victims. Gives a general concept of how Alzheimer’s disease has evolved over the past years, and it also shares the advances that it has made. It addresses the role of the public health and aging services, and how it affects the person. It goes into detail on how the brain is affected by this disease, and the impact it can cause for the individual. Overall, it stresses the importance of being aware of the Alzheimer’s diseases because it allows for there to be support, encouragement, and hope for the victims. Just having someone there can make all the difference to someone suffering.
The disease called Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Weiner, 1987). It is estimated that the elderly population will double between now and 2030. During this period, the number of elderly will grow by an average of 2.8% annually (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). By 2050, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is estimated to range from 11.3 million to 16 million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2005). These startling numbers should prompt an examination into one of the leading causes of death among this group of people. Understanding what Alzheimer’s is and the known causes of the disease are a good starting point. For those who have aging family members, knowing the risk factors and warning
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
In the United States there are approximately 5.4 million people living with Alzheimer’s. Every sixty-nine seconds a person is diagnosed. This is an ongoing issue, and unless something is done, sixteen million people will be affected by 2050 (Latest).
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).
Caregivers play a crucial role in the care of dementia patients. Providing care for dementia patients results in stress related health impacts to the caregiver. The caregivers go through a journey with the dementia patient and need a strong support system. The best approach to dementia care is for health care providers to provide information to and monitor the caregiver, in addition to the dementia patient, encourage the caregiver to take care of themselves, to seek support, and to work as a team to provide the best care for the dementia patient.
More than 5 million Americans currently have dementia in the United States and this number is projected to rise to between 8 and 13 million by 2050 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Dementia is known to become more prevalent with age, increasing from 5 to 10 percent in people over 65 years of age to almost one half of people over the age of 85 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Although family members provide the majority of care for people with dementia, increasing needs over time often lead to placement in a long-term care setting. Dementia is the most common reason for entry into long-term care facilities (Zimmerman, 2013) and nearly 90% of persons with dementia will have at least one stay at a nursing home in their lifetime (Grunier, 2007).
As baby boomers age and the demographic of the nation changes, it is with increasing frequency that the terms dementia, Alzheimer’s, and chronic cognitive decline are included in common vocabulary. Television viewers are inundated with advertisements for Alzheimer’s medications. Popular sitcoms include episodes about dealing with the stresses that can occur in a family dealing with cognitive decline issues. Entire movies, such as Still Alice, speak to these issues from the perspective of the patient. Chronic cognitive decline has been brought to the forefront of the American culture not only in homes across the country but in the healthcare system where the challenges of recognizing, treating, and managing these conditions while providing quality of care can be challenging.
The generation of hard working Americans that innovated our way of life and catapulted us into the twenty first century is aging. This fact alone will lead to skyrocketing medical costs and a compromised lifestyle for those in the Baby Boomer generation. As a result, a large number of diseases will increase, including Alzheimer's. According to The Alzheimer’s Association, “These numbers will escalate rapidly in coming years, as the baby boom generation has begun to reach age 65 and beyond, the age range of greatest risk of Alzheimer's.” A shocking “estimated 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s” and “by 2050, an American will develop Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds”
Alzheimer 's disease currently ranks as the #6 leading cause of death in the United States and with the "Baby Boomer" generation currently standing as the largest aging population in the US, there is already a surge in need to support these individuals. Our society must understand and find ways on how to best care for these individuals. My interest in this topic stems from my professional interest in Nutrition and how it impacts Alzheimer 's disease as well as my desire to study the epidemiology behind Alzheimer 's. Additionally, as an adult caring for aging parents, the topic of long term health care often brings up questions about what options are available and how does my family pay for these services.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in the United States, with its commonness expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades. Although awareness of Alzheimer's disease has increased greatly among professional and amateur audiences, exact means do not exist to calculate how many Americans the disease affects. However, it is estimated that there are over 5.1 million people aged 65 or older with probable Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s is also the sixth leading cause of death in America. Throughout, I will be addressing the issues that surround this disease: it is not an inevitable consequence of aging, the care and treatment, and end-of-life decisions. While explaining these issues, the goal is to achieve a better
Lindsay et. al (2002), explain that dementia is fast growing in elderly population and it has a significant effect on healthcare services and society due to increasing concern of health policy makers and service provider as life expectancy increase particularly as the baby boomer ages (p.445).
According to the Alzheimer’s Association (AA) (2016), it is estimated that in 2015 nearly 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and of those citizens, 5.1 million were 65 years old or older (“Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures,” 2016). This non-curable form of dementia, a general term for a group of symptoms of declining mental abilities that interfere with daily life, effects and kills 1 in 3 people in the geriatric population (AA: “Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures,” 2016). It is important for nurses to be aware and knowledgeable of this disease because of the huge prevalence of Alzheimer’s in the American population. Nurses should be educated on treating and battling the
Alzheimer 's disease is a form of dementia generally known for afflicting memory loss. An estimated 5 million Americans suffer from this disease (NIH, 2014). It is not a normal part of aging. Alzheimer’s is common among the elderly, yet surprisingly, two-thirds of the people affected are women. While two thirds affected are women, they are also more likely to be from an African-American or Hispanic descent. Alzheimer 's disease is present in 60 to 80 percent of dementia patients (Mayo Clinic, 2015). A symptom of Alzheimer 's is difficulty remembering newly obtained information. As time passes, Alzheimer’s symptoms worsen and there is no cure; there are research studies and experimental treatments available. An estimated $226