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Alzheimer’s Impact is Staggering
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MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD Support the Alzheimer's Association January 24, 2012 Click on the flyer at the left for more information. |
We need action by our policymakers to address current and future needs.
Kentucky and Indiana's Growing Alzheimer’s Prevalence
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Alzheimer’s Rally 2-3-11, Frankfort, KY
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• This number will climb to 97,000 Kentuckians by 2025, and to 120,610 by 2030.
• Today there are over 120,000 Indiana residents with Alzheimer’s disease.
• This number will climb to 130,000 Hoosiers by 2025.
• The odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease double every 5 years beyond the age of 65.
• There are approximately 500,000 Americans under age 65 who have Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
• One of every 8 baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s, and 1 in 6 will develop dementia.
• Every 69 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s; by mid-century, an American will develop the disease every 33 seconds.
• Older African Americans are two times, and older Hispanics are one and a half times, more likely than whites to have Alzheimer’s or other dementia.
• More than half of all Americans now know someone with Alzheimer’s.
• 30% of Americans have a family member with Alzheimer’s.
• With people living longer, the number with Alzheimer’s is expected to triple by the year 2050.
• 10 million American women either had Alzheimer’s disease or were caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease in the year 2010.
• Two-thirds of persons with Alzheimer’s disease are women.
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Tyler Jury of Elizabethtown addresses the 2-3-11 |
Family Caregiving
• There are 320,477 Alzheimer’s disease and dementia family caregivers in Indiana. There are 260,815 Alzheimer’s disease and dementia family caregivers in Kentucky.
• 70 percent of people with Alzheimer’s live at home, cared for by family and friends.
• 60% of Alzheimer’s caregivers are women.
• Half of women caring for someone with Alzheimer’s are providing more than 40 hours a week of care. A third of women caregivers care for their loved one 24/7.
• We do not know how many people, living alone, are developing Alzheimer’s and may be at risk for self-neglect.
• A quarter-million American children 8 to 18 years old are providing care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
• There are between 1 and 1.6 million “long-distance caregivers” in the United States. About 1 million of these caregivers live more than two hours away from their loved ones.
Mortality
• Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. and the 5th leading cause of death for those over age 65.
• In Indiana, there were 1,663 deaths due to Alzheimer’s disease in 2007.
• In Kentucky, there was a 58% increase in the number of deaths from AD from 1999 - 2008.
• Nationally, while the total number of deaths attributed to other major causes of deaths have been decreasing, those due to Alzheimer’s have been increasing. (For example, between 2000 and 2008, deaths due to AD increased 66 percent, while those attributed to the number one cause of death, heart disease, decreased 13 percent, and deaths due to stroke, decreased 20% and to prostate cancer by 8%.)
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Alzheimer’s constituents meet with |
Care
• 64% of Indiana nursing home residents have cognitive impairment.
• 69% of Kentucky nursing home residents have cognitive impairment.
• Only a small number of nursing homes and assisted living residences provide special care units for persons with dementia
• An individual with Alzheimer’s disease will live an average of 8 years and as many as 20 years or more from the onset of symptoms.
• 60% of individuals with Alzheimer’s will wander, become lost and not be able to return home.
• Individuals in long-term facility care often use up all their own resources and turn to Medicaid for assistance.
For more information, please see:
2011 Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures Report, http://www.alz.org/downloads/Facts_Figures_2011.pdf
2010 World Alzheimer’s Day Report http://www.alz.org/news_and_events_world_alzheimers_day.asp#Report
Maria Shriver Report: A Women’s Nation Takes On Alzheimer’s http://www.alz.org/shriverreport/index.html
2011 Kentucky Legislative Highlights
Advocacy Report
Kentucky Legislature – 2011 Session Highlights
Guardianship: Uniform Adult Guardianship adopted in KY! Hundreds of advocates contacted their legislators, resulting in passage of House Bill 164 by the Kentucky Legislature and signature of the Governor in March. Many thanks go to chief sponsor Representative Mary Lou Marzian for her leadership on this bill, as well as to co-sponsoring Representatives Bob DeWeese, Rita Smart, Wilson Stone, Jim Wayne and Susan Westrom; and Judiciary Committee chairs Senator Tom Jensen and Representative John Tilley.The Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act (“UAGPPJA”) establishes a uniform set of rules to help in multi-state adult guardianship cases. Current variations in state laws mean that difficulties and delays often arise in resolving these cases, causing unnecessary expenses for courts, taxpayers and families; and emotional stress for individuals and families. This legislation clarifies which state court has jurisdiction in multi-state adult guardianship cases, facilitates transfers of guardianship among states and enables courts in different states to communicate with each other. It also will help provide extra protection against elder abuse.
State Income Tax Check-off. This proposal did not pass this session. We are committed to seeking legislation in future sessions that will create an option for Kentucky taxpayers who are due a refund from the state to designate a portion of their refund for Alzheimer’s services, awareness and training programs to help individuals and families in Kentucky.
Medicaid. The State Cabinet for Health and Family Services implemented cost-containment measures and recommended further steps to the Governor and Legislature. Among issues addressed: the benefit structure and the amount, duration, and scope of services provided; prescription drug spending and possible prescription drug management models; and long term care. While Medicaid escaped major cuts 2010-2011 due to federal stimulus fund help, this funding is due to expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Governor has committed to fill existing state Medicaid shortfalls through expanding Medicaid managed care programs, shifting funds to maximize enhanced federal match revenues, and making additional spending cuts if necessary.
Individuals with Alzheimer’s often rely on Medicaid to help with community-based services as well as nursing home costs when they have used up all their own resources.
Elder Protection. Legislation was passed and signed into law that prevents people who abuse or neglect vulnerable or elderly adults from benefiting from their deaths, and keeps a person convicted of felony abuse or exploitation of an adult from serving as that victim's guardian, executor or power of attorney (HB 52, as amended).
In this short legislative session, other legislation to add protections for persons with disabilities and vulnerable adults did not pass, including HB 101/SB38 that would have created an adult abuse registry to track persons found to have abused, neglected, or exploited an adult; and HB 69 that would have tightened up procedures for reporting and investigating deaths in nursing homes and required training in procedures in nursing home deaths due to suspected abuse or neglect.
Because individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia suffer memory loss, confusion, reduced ability to care for themselves, difficulties in communicating, and are at risk for wandering and becoming lost, they are vulnerable to abuse. Advocates will continue to support legislation that puts protections in place for vulnerable adults. Want to help with these and other Alzheimer’s issues? Add your voice to ours – become an advocate today.
