It’s an unfortunate but real truth that a large majority of us will some day face the onset of dementia. This debilitating disease can come on fast, and certain types can aggressively escalate.
Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia, and has also proven to be the most life threatening. But besides the obvious mental and physical health concerns it poses, the hidden costs are also taking a toll on the public. Here are a few examples of the expenses entailed with this terrible disease.
- Finding Treatment: A cure or preventative treatment has still managed to evade even the most advanced medical professionals. But that hasn’t stopped them from looking. Even with donations from every Alzheimers charity to provide funding for dementia research, they still do not have adequate resources to conduct the studies necessary in finding a cure.
- Living Care: When a patient suffering from Alzheimers disease becomes completely incapacitated, they often require around the clock care. Even though some family members opt to take on this responsibility, whether it be due to personal familial reasons or a lack of finances to afford care, many patients end up in medical facilities.
Currently, around 64% of those in nursing homes aged 65 and older have Alzheimers or other types of dementia. All of these people require nurses or professionals for handling, food and amenities, as well as a multitude of medications. - Growing Rates: The rates of individuals with dementia are continuously skyrocketing, likely far quicker than most people realize. Even now every 67 seconds someone develops Alzheimers in the United States. Any Alzheimers charity already doesn’t have the funding to accommodate for care and research, but this will only become a bigger problem.
This is not at all to say that the money given to an Alzheimers charity is not helping, because it is the only thing that currently is. Unfortunately, with costs related to Alzheimers projected to jump between $379 to over $500 billion every year by 2040, the battle in finding a cure for Alzheimers is still leaps and bounds away.
