In 25 years, the U.S. will have two kinds of people. Those who have Alzheimer's and those who are caring for someone with Alzheimer's.
Hey older (1946) Baby Boomers, have you walked into a room and forgot why you are there? Don't despair, the younger boomers (1964) have had the same experience. Why are you concerned? Are you worried about memory loss and the onset of Alzheimer's disease? Again, don't despair. In the event you do become a victim of Alzheimer's, you will soon have no knowledge of your disease or anything else. The "Real Victims" of Alzheimer's are the caregivers--the one's with their full faculties who must endure the consequences of your disease. This post is dedicated to the "Real Victims". Most quotes came from the Alzheimer's Association website (http://www.alz.org) unless otherwise specified.
About the Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association, the world leader in Alzheimer research and support, is the first and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to finding prevention methods, treatments and an eventual cure for Alzheimer’s.
For 25 years, the donor-supported, not-for-profit Alzheimer’s Association has provided reliable information and care consultation; created supportive services for families; increased funding for dementia research; and influenced public policy changes.
Our mission
To eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
Our vision
A world without Alzheimer's disease.
Caregiving
Caring for persons with Alzheimer's places a heavy burden on the families and friends of those with the disease. Alzheimer caregiving is intense, hard, and exhausting work. Seventy percent of people with Alzheimer's live at home, where family and friends provide the majority of their care. Alzheimer caregivers devote more time to the day-to-day tasks of caring and they provide help with greater numbers of activities of daily living (including incontinence, one of the biggest challenges of caregiving). One in eight Alzheimer caregivers becomes ill or injured as a direct result of caregiving and one in three uses medications for problems related to caregiving. Older caregivers are three times more likely to become clinically depressed than others in their age group and one study found that elderly spouses strained by caregiving were 63 percent more likely to die during a four-year period than other spouses their age.
Scary facts for Baby Boomers
About one third of the United States population is now a "baby boomer" or older. There were 78 million people who were born between 1946 and 1964 in this country. At the end of a century, indeed at the end of a millennium, it's remarkable when you think that through science, technology, and all that we've learned about health, we have managed to double the life expectancy of people from 42 in 1900 to nearly 80. With all of the changes in healthcare, the opportunity to keep people healthy longer, keep them living independently, and keep them functioning longer really needs to be addressed in an aggressive manner. ( Information provided by Ronni Chernoff, PhD, RD, FADA, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and former president of The American Dietetic Association)
Nearly half of people over age 85 suffer from Alzheimer's disease. That's a frightening figure when you consider that Americans are living much longer than before. One in nine Baby Boomers could live to be 100, compared to one in 500 for their grandparents' generation.
Boomers have defined the nation's social, political, economic and cultural trends for decades. Now, as the oldest boomers approach their 60s, they are harbingers of a health care trend that is expected to see the number of Alzheimer's sufferers soar from today's 4.5 million to between 11 million and 16 million by 2050.
We are in a race against time as the baby boomer generation ages and enters the greatest period of risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). As age increases, so does the risk of getting AD. For each five-year age group beyond 65, the percentage of people with AD doubles, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA). A person with AD lives an average of eight years after the onset of symptoms, but some live as long as 20 years. ( Alan Stone, president and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association )
As the baby boomers age the number of Alzheimer's patients is said to increase exponentially.
What's on the horizon?
Old age might be the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's, but it might also be the best loophole for finding a successful treatment. Alzheimer's usually develops in the last decade of a person's life. A drug or vaccine that could delay its onset by even a few years might mean that the potential victim won't live long enough to experience symptoms. The trick is keeping the disease at bay until the very end of a person's natural life span. Some experts even believe that delaying onset by 10 years could virtually eliminate Alzheimer's altogether.
Finding a treatment that could delay onset by five years could reduce the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease by nearly 50 percent after 50 years.
Stem cell research, in particular, has been slow because of controversies surrounding the use of stem cells taken from human embryos. In May, 2005 Nancy Reagan made a plea for an acceleration in such research, saying that it could lead to a cure for people like her husband. (Search Is On for Alzheimer's Cure as Boomers Age, by Marlene Cimons and Thomas H. Maugh II, Times Staff Writers)
The Alzheimer’s Association has awarded more than $150 million in research grants since 1982. The federal government estimates spending approximately $640 million for Alzheimer’s disease research in fiscal year 2003.
We have entered a new era in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. Over the last twenty years we have gone from hopeless to hopeful and are at the point where the goal of a world without Alzheimer's disease is within reach. Working collaboratively, the federal government, the scientific community, the Alzheimer's Association and the pharmaceutical industry have made tremendous progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.... While much of the developmental work in technology is being carried out by private sector organizations, it is essential that the federal government intervene to enable both sectors to focus more attention and resources on this promising area. We are committed to working with you and all of our partner organizations to shape a future in which technology will improve the lives of people with chronic conditions like Alzheimer's disease, as well as the lives of their caregivers and families. (Conclusion statement of Testimony of Stephen McConnell, Senior Vice President, Advocacy & Public Policy Alzheimer’s Association, presented to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging--April 27, 2004).
Opinion of Author
I fear Alzheimer's not because of the disease itself. Once it progresses, I'll have no feelings, no fears, no worries and I won't see the suffering of my loved ones. My biggest fear is that my wife and daughter will endure Nancy Reagan's fate for many years, thereby depriving them of quality of life.
My personal belief on a solution (for me)--Assisted Suicide upon onset of Alzheimer's while I am of "almost sound mind" to spare my family of long-term suffering. Remember: I won't be suffering since I will exist in body only. Assisted Suicide or, as I call it, "Right to Die", is a major issue facing our society. It will ultimately be "resolved" by The Supreme Court.
Repeating my sub title: In 25 years, the U.S. will have two kinds of people. Those who have Alzheimer's and those who are caring for someone with Alzheimer's. ( Dr. Allen D. Roses )