alzheimer's disease

Get the Facts

Submitted by the Central Illinois Alzheimers Chapter

he Alzheimers Association reports that women in their 60s are

about twice as likely to develop Alzheimers disease over the rest
of their lives as they are breast cancer.
A womans estimated lifetime risk of developing Alzheimers at age
65 is 1 in 6, compared with nearly 1 in 11 for a man this according to
the Alzheimers Association 2014 Alzheimers Disease Facts and Figures report. As real a concern as breast cancer is to women's health,
women in their 60s are about twice as likely to develop Alzheimers
over the rest of their lives as they are to develop breast cancer.*
Adding to womens Alzheimers burden, there are 2.5 times as
many women than men providing intensive on-duty 24-hour care for
someone living with Alzheimers disease. Among caregivers who feel
isolated, women are much more likely than men to link isolation with
feeling depressed (17 percent of women versus 2 percent of men).
The strain of caring for someone with Alzheimers is also felt in the
workplace. Among caregivers who have been employed while they
were also caregiving:
 0 percent of women versus 3 percent of men went from working full
2
time to working part-time while acting as a caregiver.
 8 percent of women versus 11 percent of men took a leave of
1
absence
Page 48 Healthy Cells Magazine Peoria June 2014

11 percent of women versus 5 percent of men gave up work entirely

 0 percent of women versus 5 percent of men lost job benefits
1
Human and Financial Toll of Alzheimers
There are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimers disease, including 210,000 here in Illinois, but Alzheimers has far reaching
effects that can plague entire families. There are more than 587,000
Alzheimers caregivers in Illinois providing 668 million hours of unpaid
care valued at $8.3 billion.
The total national cost of caring for people with Alzheimers and
other dementias is projected to reach $214 billion this year. In 2014,
the cost to Medicare and Medicaid of caring for those with Alzheimers
and other dementias will reach a combined $150 billion with Medicare
spending nearly $1 in every $5 on people with Alzheimers or another
dementia.
Age is the greatest factor for Alzheimers disease, and as the baby
boomers age, the number of people with Alzheimers disease is projected to soar to as many as 16 million in 2050, at a cost of $1.2 trillion
(in current dollars) to the nation.
We have seen diseases like breast cancer, heart disease, and HIV/
AIDS make tremendous progress in prevention, early detection, and

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treatment after the federal government made a significant investment,

says Central Illinois Chapter Executive Director, Nikki Vulgaris-Rodriguez.
Comparable investments in Alzheimers are now needed to realize the
same successes and save millions of lives and billions of dollars.
Lack of Understanding of the Disease
Alzheimers disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United
States, yet it is still widely misunderstood and under reported. Nearly a
quarter (24 percent) of both men and women agree with the mistaken
belief that Alzheimers must run in their family for them to be at risk.
Everyone with a brain male or female, family history or not is at
risk for Alzheimers disease.
In 2010, the Alzheimers Association in partnership with Maria
Shriver and The Shriver Report conducted a groundbreaking poll with
the goal of exploring the compelling connection between Alzheimers
disease and women. Data from that poll were published in The Shriver
Report: A Womans Nation Takes on Alzheimers. That report revealed
not only the striking impact of the disease on individual lives, but also its
especially strong effects on women women living with the disease,
as well as women who are caregivers, relatives, friends, and loved ones
of those directly affected.
The Alzheimer's Association is the worlds leading voluntary health
organization in Alzheimers care, support, and research. Our mission is
to eliminate Alzheimers 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 is
a world without Alzheimers. To learn more, visit www.alz.org. For local
help or further questions, please call 309-681-1100.
*Breast cancer data: http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2010/results_single/sect_04_table.18.pdf

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June 2014 Peoria Healthy Cells Magazine Page 49