Significant Rise in Alaskan Alzheimer’s Diagnoses Creates Steep Financial Stress

Courtesy of Ron Niebrugge.

A newly released study shows that new cases of Alzheimer’s Disease are expected to grow faster in Alaska than the rest of the nation.

Data from the Alzheimer’s Association was analyzed by the financial website 24/7 Wall Street to find each state’s projected increase in the percentage of people diagnosed with this degenerative brain disease, and the most common form of dementia, over the next eight years.

The prediction is largely based on the growth of each state’s elderly population. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline, and personality changes. Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of Alzheimer’s disease, developing after age 65. Many factors, including genetics, can influence a person’s chances of developing the condition.

FDA approved DNA analysing service 23andme.com recently released genetic indicator screenings for late-onset Alzheimier’s. Some socioeconomic conditions such as lower levels of income and education are associated with increased Alzheimer’s incidence.

Fearless Wellness coach Dr. Deborah Kiley suggests prevention is the best medicine.

Dr. Deb Kiley

Dr. Deborah Kiley: “You eat healthy foods, get exercise and take your fish oil. You do all of those things before.”

The largest increase is expected in Alaska – with a dramatic near 55% increase from 7,100 in 2015 to 11,000 in 2017. Increased rates of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to place greater financial stress on health care programs and boost the need for caregivers.

Dr. Kiley suggests if you are concerned that Alzheimer’s might be a factor, get a professional screening immediately.

Dr. Deborah Kiley: “There is some standardized tests that can be done, where they ask questions and have you perform some things…draw things and recall numbers and dates and things like that.”

While Medicare and Medicaid are expected to cover cover 67% of the cost of care, total costs of care for those with Alzheimer’s or other dementias are estimated at $259 billion annually, and are predicted to reach $1.1 trillion by 2025, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

On average, Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s or other dementias paid $10,315 out of pocket annually for health care and long-term care services not covered by other sources.

The ten early warning signs of Alzheimers include missing things and the inability to retrace steps, new problems with words in speaking and writing, and trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.  If you see the early warning signs in yourself or someone you know, don’t ignore them. Schedule an appointment with your doctor.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) quietly published the results of a new approach in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease last summer. The findings were striking. Although the size of the study was small, every participant demonstrated such marked improvement that almost all were found to be in the normal range on testing for memory and cognition by the study’s end – a this amounts to a functional cure.  Help is on the way.