Congress cannot balance the budget without addressing Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's Association
Tuesday, 8 April 1997

Adding to the common challenge of paying for a mortgage, car, college tuition, and household expenses, Alzheimer families as well as taxpayers face a staggering bill of $100 billion to pay for the care of people with Alzheimer's disease. Nearly 35 million Americans are over the age of 65 and one in 10 of them has Alzheimer's disease. In its 1997 National Public Policy Program to Conquer Alzheimer's Disease, the Alzheimer's Association calls on Congress to change the way we provide and pay for care that will lead to decreased costs in caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease.

Research — the real healthcare costs savings

Scientists have made enormous progress in identifying and understanding specific biochemical deficits in the brain and the molecular details of the disease. Genetic research has identified four chromosomes associated with Alzheimer's disease, opening new avenues of investigation. Two drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and at least eight others are in the pipeline.

Scientists are now concentrating their attention on drugs that can save brain cells by finding and disarming the trigger that starts the disease or by stopping the underlying process of disease progression. "This is where the future of a possibility without Alzheimer's lies," said Stephen McConnell, vice president of public policy for the Alzheimer's Association. "By delaying the onset and progression of the disease, we can cut the incidence of Alzheimer's in half and save an estimated $50 billion annually. Congress must appropriate $355 million to maintain the momentum of Alzheimer research."

The Alzheimer's Association will continue to do its part through the Ronald & Nancy Reagan Research Institute to accelerate research, encourage cutting edge science and create new alliances among scientists, foundations and industry.

Current healthcare system fails the elderly

Because of their memory loss and disorientation, persons with Alzheimer's disease are less able to recognize, understand and report early symptoms of infection or illness. They forget to eat and drink and as a result become malnourished and dehydrated. They are at greater risk of injuries like lacerations, sprains, hypothermia and burns, and illnesses like pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and intestinal obstructions. And these illnesses can run throughout the duration of the disease that could span three to 20 years.

The current health care system is failing people with Alzheimer's disease, and Medicare is the major culprit. It will not pay for the low cost preventive and health maintenance services that keep people with the disease healthy, safe and out of hospitals and nursing homes. Instead, Medicare pays after a health crisis forces a person with Alzheimer's disease into the hospital, the most expensive care in the system. People with Alzheimer's disease stay in the hospital twice as long as other geriatric patients, with costs as much as 75 percent higher.

The Alzheimer's Association encourages prevention of these health problems with related savings to Medicare and better outcomes, through simple, low cost interventions, such as:

- Personal assistance at home to prevent malnutrition and dehydration, help maintain mobility, reduce falls, and prevent infection.

- Therapeutic adult day care to help maintain physical function, manage behavior, and provide early warning of health problems.

"If we do not address the way we currently finance elder care, we will be unable to afford care for our parents," continues McConnell "And down the road, how will we pay for our own care when we need it?"

For more information, or to contact Alzheimer's Association, see their website at: www.alz.org