About 14 million of the 79 million U.S. Baby Boomers can expect to develop Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia, according to a new report from the Alzheimer’s Association, “2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures.” According to the report (available online at http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_facts_figures.asp), as many as 5.2 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer’s, and someone develops Alzheimer’s every 71 seconds.
Since the Boomers represent the next significant “wave” of senior-care clients, this is extremely valuable information for Franchise Owners and for anyone else affiliated with the Home Instead Senior Care network.
One in six women and one in 10 men who live to be at least 55 will develop Alzheimer’s disease, the report notes. The risk is higher for women than men, because women live longer, on average, and risk increases with age.
The personal and societal implications of these numbers are daunting. According to this report—which provides state-level breakdowns in many statistical areas—the direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses amounts to more than $148 billion each year.
Moreover, in 2007, 9.8 million family members, friends and neighbors provided 8.4 billion hours of unpaid care to persons with Alzheimer’s or other dementias (representing an average of 16.6 hours of care per caregiver per week.)
To learn how Home Instead Senior Care can help your loved one with dementia saty at home, visit www.homeinstead.com/283.
Posted in 2008 Elections, Alzheimer's, Bert Copple, Birmingham, Dementia, Doctor, Home Instead Senior Care, Life, Michigan, Oakland County Michigan, aging, caregiving, companionship, disability, elderly, family, health, home health, senior | Tags: Alzheimer's, baby boomers, Dementia
