With one of every eight Baby Boomers expected to get Alzheimer’s, it is being described as “the defining disease” of the generation.
The Alzheimer’s Association this week released a new report named just that: “Generation Alzheimer’s: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers.”
The association report says that the rate at which Boomers could get the disease could mean that ultimately 10 million of their generation will die with or from Alzheimer’s.
In releasing its report, the association is also making the case that the Alzheimer’s treatment and research lags behind other illnesses.
“Death rates for other major diseases — HIV, stroke, heart disease, prostate cancer, breast cancer — are declining. Alzheimer’s is the only top 10 cause of death without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression,” said the association.
It also noted that federal spending on research is also lagging.
“The National Institutes of Health spends over $6 billion a year on cancer research, over $4 billion on heart disease research and over $3 billion on HIV/AIDS research. But it spends only $480 million on Alzheimer research,” it said.
The report talks of the emotional and financial cost of Alzheimer’s to caregivers, and it cautions of an ever rising cost as Baby Boomers age.
“Today, America spends $172 billion caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. With the aging of the baby boomers, Alzheimer’s could bring this country to its financial knees,” said the report.
“Costs will reach over $1 trillion in 2050 — and that’s not counting inflation. Almost half of all Alzheimer costs are paid by Medicare, where more than one in every six Medicare dollars is spent on someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Curing Alzheimer’s would help save Medicare.”
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