Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
May 8, 2008 issue
Story by Celeste von Mangan
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Today, 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and 130,000 people in North Carolina have the disease. By 2010, that figure is expected to reach 170,000 and will rise to more than 294,000 by 2030, according to the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services. In Watauga County, 622 people currently have the disease. In Avery County, the number is 355.
“The 2008 Alzheimer’s Facts and Figure Report shows the tremendous impact this disease is having in North Carolina,” said Jackie Rivers, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Western Carolina Chapter.
The 2008 report states that the disease will strike one out of eight baby boomers—some 10 million people—and the disease is placing an ever-increasing burden on individuals, families, government, business and the nation’s health and long-term care systems.
With Alzheimer’s on the increase, 28 percent of North Carolina residents are currently providing daily care or assistance to an older adult with a long-term illness or disability. Almost half of the caregivers reported that the person they are caring for suffers from memory loss, confusion or a disorder like Alzheimer’s disease.
Last year in North Carolina, 311,000 caregivers provided almost 269 billion hours of unpaid care for a family member with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia—work valued at $2.8 billion.
“It’s more important than ever that research funding be increased to find effective treatments that delay the progress of the disease,” said Rivers, “We are going to support the presidential candidate who will address the issue of Alzheimer’s with an effective nationwide plan. There are more than 311,000 caregivers in this state who are grappling with the tremendous challenges an Alzheimer’s diagnosis brings to one’s doorstep. Their votes will count in this election.”
Alzheimer’s is a progressive, degenerative disease that creates irreversible changes in the brain. The damage results in impaired memory, thinking and ability to reason. As the disease progresses, these changes become severe enough that they interfere with daily function and eventually culminate in death.
Alzheimer’s is characterized by a reduction in the ability to perform routine tasks, gradual memory loss, confusion, loss of language skills and impaired judgment and planning. People with Alzheimer’s also have difficulty learning, making decisions, performing personal care activities and communicating, both in expressing thoughts and in understanding what others are saying. Changes in mood, personality and behavior, including agitation, suspiciousness, anxiety, delusion and hallucinations, are other symptoms Alzheimer’s patients exhibit.
Increased age is the greatest known risk factor for the disease. One in 10 individuals age 65 or older and almost half of those over 85 are affected.
Although not as common, Alzheimer’s can affect adults in their 30s and 40s.
Women are nearly twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men—17 percent vs. 9 percent for men. That means one in six women and one in ten men age 55 or older can expect to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Females are not at greater risk, but on average, they live longer than men and therefore have more opportunity to develop the illness.
Life expectancy for a person with Alzheimer’s averages 8 years from the onset of symptoms, although it can be as short as 2 and as long as 20 years. The acute rate of the disease progression is different for each individual.
Alzheimer’s is the seventh leading cause of death for Americans of any age and the fifth leading cause for adults age 65 and older.
The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s research, care and support. The association’s mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
“Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s,” said a spokesperson.
For more information, call 704-532-7392.