According to a report from the Alzheimer's Association, care for patients with the condition costs three times as much as care for other elderly patients. The study compares those who are 65 years of age and older, both with and without Alzheimer's. The costs for those with the disease equal at least $33,007, while for those without it, medical treatment runs at slightly more than $10,600, based on 2004 numbers compiled.
The report also points out that number of hours volunteered to care for Alzheimer's patients last year alone was around 8.5 billion for close to 10 million caregivers. Currently, about 5.3 million people are living with Alzheimer's; the association reports that nearly 500,000 new cases will be diagnosed by this time next year.
"All of these statistics paint a really grim picture of what's going to happen...unless we invest in solutions [to prevent Alzheimer's]," Alzheimer's Association chief strategy officer Angela Geiger said.
To learn more about the battle with Alzheimer's:
- here's the Associated Press article