Alzheimer’s Disease Hits Women The Hardest

Last updated: March 15, 2017 at 8:39 am

According to a new study released by the Alzheimer’s Association, over 5 million Americans are currently affected by the disease. Over the next 35 years that number is expected to increase to 13 million. This year alone, Alzheimer’s is expected to take the lives of more than 500,000 people in the U.S.

Unfortunately, the problem is particularly glaring for women because once they reach the age of 65 they have a one in six chance of developing the disease. That means it’s twice as likely a woman will develop Alzheimer’s as they will breast cancer. For men, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is one in eleven. Even when a woman is able to escape developing the disease, they are more often burdened by being a caregiver for friends or family members. The report finds that twice as many women are caregivers than men.

According to this study from the Alzheimer’s Association, the national cost for Alzheimer’s care this year will be $214 Billion. If you add in unpaid caregiving by friends and family the cost would be another $220 Billion. Currently, the average cost for a nursing home is $87,600.

At this time there is no cure or successful treatment for Alzheimer’s. The latest advance is a blood test that indicates if a person is likely to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms. That test only provides some insight for long term care planning.

Mental deficiencies, such as those caused by dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are covered by long term care insurance. Like many other health conditions a person can develop, the key is to obtain long term healthcare insurance before you have received any significant diagnosis and you’re still enjoying good health. We can provide you with the health qualification criteria and quotations for the top-rated long term care insurance carriers like Genworth Financial, John Hancock, Transamerica, Mass Mutual, Mutual of Omaha and MedAmerica.