According the Alzheimer's Associati...

According the Alzheimer's Association, a novel study confirms that US families are the backbone of the long-term care scheme and provide care for family members with Alzheimer's disease at enormous personal costliness to their own physical and mental health, to other family and piece of work responsibilities, and to their have financial security. There are at least five million American households that care for a lov undivided with Alzheimer's disease each day.

A report of the close attention "Who Cares? Families Caring for living bodys with Alzheimer's Disease," was released by dint of the Alzheimer's Association and the National Alliance for Caregiving. Twenty-two percent of 1509 caregivers interviewed during a national measure and estimate conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving were caring for a character who had Alzheimer's disease or "mental confusion."

The data exhibit that Alzheimer caregivers suffer higher evens of physical strain and emotional stres Compared to other caregivers observeed Alzheimer caregivers are

* twice as likely to be providing more than 40 hours of care each week;

* women--three-fourths of Alzheimer caregivers are women and common in three has children or grandchildren les than 18 years of age living at home; and

* make use ofed for at least some of the time they are caregivers (ie, seven disclosed of 10).

Nearly three-fourths of Alzheimer caregivers scrutinizeed have been providing care for at least individual year, and 40% have been providing care for more than five years. Alzheimer caregivers miss time from work, make an incision in back to part-time, turn down promotions, transfer to les demanding do job-works choose early retirement, or resign to give care to a lov one

According to the report, Alzheimer caregivers are not wealthy--almost common in five has a household income below $15000 solely 11% of Alzheimer caregivers have an income of $75000 or more, if it were not that nonspouse caregivers who are living with and providing financial support for a living body with Alzheimer's disease spend an average of $261 by month of their own cash for prescription medications, clothing, and other daily straits The report also warns that the aging baby boomer section of the population means that an estimated 14 million Americans will have Alzheimer's disease through the middle of the nearest century, up from four million today.

Caregiving's Heavy Toll forward Family Demands a Response: A of recent origin Study Challenges Private, Public Forces to Do Their Part. Available from http.//www.alz.org/news/right.htm. Accessed 18 Feb 1999

COPYRIGHT 1999 Association of Operating swing Nurses, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group