The Alzheimer's Association stated in a new report last week that the number of U.S. residents with Alzheimer's disease is increasing annually — and increasing pressure on the nation's health system. Compared with people aged 65 and older without Alzheimer's, those with the mind-destroying disease are hospitalized more often, treated in skilled-nursing centers and often require Medicare-covered home health care. That means $33,007 in annual costs per patient, compared with $10,603 for an older person without Alzheimer's, according to the report. The numbers are based on 2004 data and include average per-person Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance costs. They don't, however, include the 8.5 billion hours of unpaid care performed by nearly 10 million caregivers. With a new case every 70 seconds, doctors now expect to diagnose a half-million new cases every year. Read the full 2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report.
Monday, March 30, 2009