More people with Alzheimer's disease living alone
/ Courtesy: NBC News
The number of people battling Alzeheimer's disease is growing, and the costs are rising just as dramatically.
For those without a safety net or family support, the costs can get overwhelming. A new report finds one out of every seven people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease lives alone.
64-year-old Arthur McCaffery was diagnosed with Alzheimer's two years ago. He is one of an estimated 5.4 million Americans living with the disease. "Sometimes I would just kind of go blank and I couldn't remember what I was going to do next," McCaffery said. He has no children and no immediate family members living nearby.
It's a situation a growing number of Alzheimer's patients find themselves in. Now, a new report by the Alzheimer's Association shows one in seven people diagnosed with the disease lives alone. "They're at great risk of falls or injury or just not being able to take care of themselves, so it's a real challenge that we face across the United States. After his diagnosis Arthur realized he needed some help with everyday task," said Elizabeth Edgerly of the Alzheimer's Association. "It was very overwhelming. My banking, my keeping up with just correspondence you know bills," McCaffery said. That's when McCaffery moved into an assisted living community to get additional support, but still maintain his freedom.
As baby boomers age, the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease is expected to triple by the year 2050, and the cost to the nation is skyrocketing.
A new report estimates Medicare and Medicaid will pay out $140 billion this year on Alzheimer's care. The report suggests one reason the cost is so high is that Alzheimer's patients often need hands-on care later in life. Their care is also complicated by the fact patients often have more than one serious chronic illness like diabetes or heart disease.
Experts estimate more of those needing help in the future will be like McCaffery who have to face the possibility of living alone with Alzheimer's. "I really have accepted the way things are and I'm just living my life as fully as I feel I can and enjoying it as much as I can," McCaffery said.
The study also finds one in eight older Americans has Alzheimer's disease. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.
Do you know anyone living with Alzheimer's? Do they live alone? What kind of support do you think they need? Leave your thoughts below.
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Information courtesy of NBC News
