10 Million Baby Boomers Face Alzheimer's

Avatar for cmkarla
Administrator
Registered: 01-03-2001
10 Million Baby Boomers Face Alzheimer's
4
Wed, 03-19-2008 - 2:18pm

According to recent Health Day News, 10 million baby boomers will face Alzheimers. What are your thoughts about this?Are you concerned? Do you have long term health care plans in the event of something like this happening?



March 18 (HealthDay News) -- An estimated 10 million American baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's disease in their lifetime, placing enormous strains on the U.S. health-care system and the already overburdened network of caregivers, a new report predicts.


Currently, at least 5.2 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, including 200,000 to 250,000 people under age 65. By 2010, projections say there will be 500,000 new cases of the mind-wasting disease each year, and nearly one million new cases annually by 2050, the report estimates.


In addition, the report, released Tuesday by the Alzheimer's Association, showed that the disease is now the seventh deadliest in the nation and that women are at greater risk than men.


The overall prediction for 10 million, which translates to 1 out of every 8 boomers, is a number that is "particularly significant because it's people who are now just approaching what we refer to as the age of highest risk," said Stephen McConnell, the association's vice president for advocacy and public policy.


Read more:


10 Million Baby Boomers Face Alzheimer's, Report Predicts

Karla
Community ModeratoriVillage.com

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 03-19-2008 - 6:42pm

This is really scary. Hopefully, the new meds they're coming out with now will prove increasingly effective and will continue to delay the onset of this disease.


Long-term planning would be a really wise thing to do but hard for folks who are having trouble enough just dealing with the financial repercussions of their health costs in the hear and now. Prevention is certainly the first line of defense. I hope they come up with more and more reliable methods of prevention.


Kat

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-01-2006
Wed, 03-19-2008 - 7:05pm
and just what can we do about it?!

Dutch



Dutch

 

Avatar for cl_campmum_of3
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 12:02pm

Those are very scary stats!

     

 

          

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Thu, 03-20-2008 - 1:07pm
I read that and was thinking of that awful joke about all of the little blue pills and silicone implants where when Boomers who have them won't remember what to do with them. Best to keep doing new and different things plus exercising since that still is the best things we can do to stay aware and healthy. Just read that even looking where we're walking is something that slows us since we aren't using parts of our brains if we look down.-B