Working, Caregiving and
Alzheimer’s: The Numbers
Alzheimer’s: The Numbers
More than 5 million Americans are currently afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, and the Alzheimer’s Association expects those numbers to rise to 14 million by 2050, with one diagnosis every 33 seconds.
Want to know what 14 million people with dementia will look like? The population of the states of Pennsylvania and Illinois are currently 13 million each, while Ohio has 11 million citizens and Georgia a million less. Pick a state. Now imagine that everyone is demented. That’s the scope of Alzheimer’s. That’s what the disease will look like in just four decades.
In the United States, caring for someone with Alzheimer's is done primarily by family members. Not surprisingly, if these caregivers also work a full-time job, many of them struggle daily with their loved ones at home and with their own challenges in the workplace. If you're currently taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or some other dementia, you already know that it significantly affects your ability to stay employed or to carry out your daily obligations to the best of your ability.
The Alzheimer's Association now estimates that last year more than 15 million workers were unpaid caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s. That number is expected to grow as sufferers of the disease increase 30 percent by 2025.
Caring for someone with Alzheimer's can be extremely difficult, both physically and psychologically, especially in the more advanced stages of the disease. According to a recent report from the Alzheimer's Association, only 47 percent of people are able to keep their jobs while caring for someone with Alzheimer's. Almost 70 percent of caregivers polled said their family finances were strained, with 90 percent describing their caregiving as "emotionally stressful."
According to the Alzheimer's Association report on unpaid caregivers:
• Unpaid caregiving valued at $210 billion is provided by family members for loved ones with Alzheimer's and other dementias.
• By 2050, caregiving costs are expected to surpass $1 trillion.
• 69 percent of these caregivers had to arrive late to work, leave early or take time off during the day.
• 32 percent had to take a leave of absence.
• 26 percent had to take a less demanding job.
• 20 percent said their job performance suffered to the point of possible dismissal.
If you want to keep abreast of developments in research on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, we recommend a subscription to The Johns Hopkins Memory Disorders Bulletin. Each quarterly issue brings critical information for patients and caregivers on Alzheimer's disease, dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and other memory conditions. Edited by Dr. Peter V. Rabins, director of the Division of Geriatric and Neuropsychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and author of the acclaimed book The 36-Hour Day, The Johns Hopkins Memory Disorders Bulletincontains the latest scientific breakthroughs, research findings from the world's foremost medical journals and conferences, news of medications and caregiver support, plus breakthrough medical discoveries for safeguarding your brain against aging and memory loss.
No comments:
Post a Comment