Whom Does Alzheimer's Disease Impact?

(Tuesday, June 06, 2006) - About 4.5 million Americans and an estimated 280,000 Canadians have
Alzheimer's disease. (Alzheimer's Association and Alzheimer Society of Canada)
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia among older
adults, and age is the most common known risk factor for the disease. The
number of people with the disease doubles every five years beyond age 65.
(National Institute on Aging)
By age 85, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease reaches nearly 50%.
(Alzheimer's Association)
Current direct and indirect costs of caring for Americans with Alzheimer's
disease are estimated at $100 billion annually.
(Alzheimer's Association and National Institute on Aging)
The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease is expected to continue
to grow; by 2050, the number of individuals with Alzheimer's could range
from 11.3 to 16 million. (Alzheimer's Association)
One in 20 Canadians over age 65 are affected by Alzheimer's disease.
(Canadian Study of Health and Aging Work Group: Study Methods and Prevalence of Dementia)
There will be an estimated 94,270 new cases of dementia in Canada in 2005.
By 2011, new cases of dementia in Canada are expected to reach 111,560
per year. (Canadian Study of Health and Aging Working Group: The Incidence of Dementia in Canada)
Who Provides Alzheimer's Care?
More than seven in 10 people with Alzheimer's disease live at home,
where family and friends provide almost 75% of their care.
(Alzheimer's Association)
A typical Alzheimer's family caregiver is a woman, 48 years old, married,
and employed who has at least some college education and no children in
the home.
While a majority of Alzheimer's caregivers are women (59%), four in 10
(41%) are men.
About 23% of Alzheimer's caregivers provide "constant care." That is, they
commit 40 or more hours per week to caregiving.
One in three (30%) of Alzheimer's caregivers provide all of the unpaid care
for their loved ones, while 23% provide most of this care. Therefore, a total
of 53% of these individuals are the primary caregivers for their loved ones
with Alzheimer's.
Source: Families Care: Alzheimer's Caregiving in the United States 2004,
Alzheimer's Association and National Alliance for Caregiving
Who Needs Help?
One in five Alzheimer's caregivers (20%) are in fair to poor health, and 18%
report that caregiving has made their health worse.
Two-thirds of working caregivers (66%) have missed work because of
caregiving responsibilities.
Two-thirds (66%) of caregivers have sacrificed one or more of the following
to provide care: time with family and friends (55%); vacations, hobbies and
social activities (49%); or exercise (30%).
On a five-point scale – where five is a great deal of emotional stress – 41%
of Alzheimer's caregivers rate their stress as a four or five, compared with
31% of all other caregivers.
Source: Families Care: Alzheimer's Caregiving in the United States 2004,
Alzheimer's Association and National Alliance for Caregiving
Who Leads the Industry in
Non-Medical Alzheimer's Care?
Home Instead Senior Care® is the first home care company with a specialized
non-medical Alzheimer's training program. In 2001, the company collaborated
with The George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers of San Diego, CA,
to create this one-of-a-kind program in North America. The training curriculum
focuses on utilizing proven techniques and developing special skills to
support individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias.
In 2003, the American Society on Aging recognized Home Instead Senior
Care for the development of the Alzheimer's CAREGiverSM Training Program,
and honored the company with the prestigious Small Business of the Year
Award.
Who Can Help?
Home Instead Senior Care is the world's largest provider of non-medical home
care and companionship services for seniors, with more than 625 independently
owned and operated franchises in the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal,
Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Services include companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders,
light housekeeping and escort for errands and shopping.
More than 30,000 CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded, insured and
have successfully passed a thorough criminal background check. The average
age of a Home Instead CAREGiver is 48.
Home Instead Senior Care services are available at home or in care communities
for a few hours per week, or as many as 24-hours-a-day, seven days-a-week,
including holidays.
In addition to their access to an industry-leading Alzheimer's training program,
Home Instead CAREGivers complete a multi-phased safety and caregiving
education program. This features case studies, information about senior
illnesses, stimulating activities, nutritional recipes, tips for coping with stress
and industry information, followed by testing.
For more information about the company and its
franchise owners visit homeinstead.com.
Each Home Instead Senior Care franchise office is independently owned and operated.
© Home Instead, Inc. 2006
FACT.ALZ.0106

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