Those working on the front lines of the fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia see an out-of-control truck veering toward the American population. And they’re concerned that too few people seem to notice it.

There are now 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer’s and estimates say that will double by the year 2050. Closer to home, there were about 20,000 diagnosed dementia patients in South Central Wisconsin in 2010, and that will jump by about 4,000 by 2025.

It’s not just the people with dementia who are cause for concern. There’s the question of who is going to take care of them. 

Tracy Earll, executive officer of the Alzheimer’s Association of South Central Wisconsin, said it takes an average of three people to care for one patient each day, “And it’s a 36-hour-a-day job.” 

There are now 15 million unpaid caregivers, mostly family members, and twice that number will be needed by 2050 when baby boomers are in their last years. Equally ominous is dwindling government support to help families provide care.

“This situation could cripple the Medicare system,” Earll said. “The drugs (to treat Alzheimer’s) are not very good at all. If there’s no cure in 20 years this will be extremely, impossibly expensive.”

So while money for research is being chased, others are working to help the unpaid caregivers cope with the job they didn’t sign up for, and are usually poorly equipped to handle. One such source is the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin, which provides education and support from the beginning to the end of what they call “the journey.” 

DIAGNOSING DEMENTIA

The first step, getting a diagnosis, is often slow. Minor odd incidents gradually increase.

Pat Wilson and her brothers initially thought that grief over their mother’s death was causing their father’s uncharacteristic behavior. He was a retired Small Business Administration executive and a “clothes horse who always looked good.” But they noticed that sometimes he wasn’t changing his clothes, shaving or combing his hair. He’d come to her workplace to ask her what he’d had for breakfast, though she hadn’t been with him. 

Another source of confusion for family members is that while Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, there are several other types and many people have more than one kind.

“People with a type of dementia called ‘lewy body’ can have hallucinations, like seeing children or animals playing outside when they’re not there,” said Mary Reines, program director for the Alliance. “That can really throw caregivers off.

“People with Alzheimer’s and dementia view themselves in a different place and time. They might get up at 4 a.m. because they think they have to go to work or take care of children. They look in the mirror and see a stranger because they think of themselves as younger.” 

Many caregivers say the afflicted person has a different personality. 

“But what they’re seeing is the person’s unfiltered raw personality,” Reines said. “They lose impulse control and social graces. We all think things we don’t say out loud, but when certain parts of the brain are damaged, they come out.”

Also perplexing is the fact that on some days people have lucid moments, but then retreat to a mental fog. “Caregivers start to wonder if the person is deliberately being mean to them,” she said. “You can read every book in the world on the subject, but every case is different and every one is complicated.” 

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Regards,

Valerie VanBooven RN BSN

Owner/ Managing Partner

LTC Expert Publications
Phone: 888-404-1513
Email: valerie@ltcep.com