Editor's Note: The growth in the
number of persons
with Alzheimer's disease affects the productivity of
every enterprise in America. As you review the facts
below, keep in mind that two-thirds of all family
caregivers are also holding down a full or part-time
job outside the home. The report below comes to us
from "Keeping the PACE," a newsletter of the National
Association of Programs of All Inclusive Care of the
Elderly www.npaonline.org
Growth in Number of Persons with
Alzheimer's Drives Up
Healthcare Costs,
Increases Stress on Families
The number of U.S. residents with Alzheimer's
disease is increasing annually, putting more pressure
on the health care system, according to a report
issued on March 24 by the Alzheimer's Association,
USA Today reports (Brophy Marcus, USA Today, 3/24).
The report was based on 2004 data and included
average Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance
costs per person (Tanner, AP/Austin American-
Statesman, 3/24).
According to the report, 5.1
million
U.S. residents older than age 65 have Alzheimer's.
The report also found that about 2.7 million U.S.
residents older than age 85 have the disease;
however, the report estimated that the number will
reach about 3.5 million in 2031, when the first wave of
baby boomers reaches age 85.
Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death
overall in the U.S. and the fifth-leading cause for U.S.
residents older than age 65, the report states (USA
Today, 3/24).
From 2000 to 2006, deaths related
to
Alzheimer's increased by 47% while deaths due to
heart disease, stroke, and breast and prostate cancer
declined.
In addition, the report found that health care costs
for U.S. residents with Alzheimer's are more than triple
those of other older U.S. residents.
The report
stated
that the cost per patient was at least $33,007 annually,
compared with $10,603 annually for an older person
who does not have Alzheimer's. The cost did not
include the 8.5 billion hours of unpaid care for
Alzheimer's patients performed by nearly 10 million
caregivers -- mostly family members -- in 2008,
according to the report.
According to the AP/Austin
American-Statesman, U.S. residents ages 65 and
older with Alzheimer's are more often hospitalized and
treated in skilled-nursing centers than those in the
same age range who do not have Alzheimer's.
The
increased medical costs for Alzheimer's patients also
often include nursing home care and Medicare-
covered home health visits. (Kaiser Daily Health
Policy Report, 3/25)
According to the Alzheimer's Association, in the
U.S. in 2002, the cost of Alzheimer's family caregiving
was $36.5 billion in absenteeism, productivity losses,
and replacement costs.
John
Paul Marosy is the author of Elder Care: A
Six Step Guide to Balancing
Work and Family, available from Bringing Elder
Care Home Publishing online
at our Web site or by calling
508-854-0431.
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