Guest Blog: "Some Life Lessons to Hold Off Alzheimer’s Disease"
This is a guest blog by Anthony Cirillo, FACHE, ABC:
A new report suggests that health care costs of Alzheimer's disease patients are more than triple those of other older people. Alzheimer's victims are hospitalized more, use more home health and nursing home care.
That all adds up to at least $33,007 in annual costs compared with $10,603 for an older person without Alzheimer's, according to the report by the Alzheimer's Association.
In addition nearly 10 million caregivers, mostly family members, provide 8.5 billion hours of unpaid care for Alzheimer's patients.
An estimated 5.3 million Americans have the disease; by next year nearly half a million new cases will be diagnosed, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
From 2000 to 2006, while deaths from heart disease, stroke, breast and prostate cancer declined, Alzheimer's deaths rose 47 percent.
I believe there are things individuals can do to help themselves and that the industry can do to be more proactive.
First for individuals. I spend a lot of time around older folks so much so that I have learned a great many lessons. I am so presumptuous that I even have a keynote I give called The Meaning of Life. I make eight simple points about life, many of which you know. Let me call out a few in terms of how they relate to Alzheimer's.
A study of elderly people by Chicago's Rush University Medical Center suggests that those who see themselves as self-disciplined, organized achievers have a lower risk for developing Alzheimer's disease than people who are less conscientious. To me that translates to people who have purpose. A purposeful personality may somehow protect the brain, perhaps by increasing neural connections that can act as a reserve against mental decline, said study co-author Robert Wilson.
Rush University examined the brains of older folks and found that older people with broad social networks, who had the tangles and plaques associated with Alzheimer's never manifested the disease suggesting that having and nurturing friendships can help ward off Alzheimer's.
There have also been enough studies to suggest that keeping your brain stimulated, what I consider lifelong learning, also plays a role.
To professionals in the field I use this keynote to stress that you must first take care of yourself. That will make you better able to care for those around you. And to those in the field I suggest that we don't wait until Alzheimer's residents show up at our door. Eventually many will because despite all the best efforts some people are predisposed to this.
I am talking more about proactively getting involved. When I speak to facilities about marketing I stress several points that help spread word of mouth marketing, the best and lowest cost marketing there is. For example, as a facility adopt the cause of Alzheimer's. When people see you involved, when they need you many years from now, that gesture will help. Similarly bring communities of people together, perhaps hosting a forum on aging or healthy aging or preparing for aging. I contend people make choices about aging when in a crisis. Educate them, help them and when they need care you will be top of mind.
Just a few thoughts. What do you think?
Anthony Cirillo, FACHE, ABC is a healthcare consultant, ombudsman and expert blogger for Wellsphere in the area of aging and senior health. He consults with long-term care facilities and is available for management retreats and association keynotes. He is the author of "Who Moved My Dentures?" a book that dispels myths about long-term care. To read more, go to www.4wardfast.com/ and www.anthonyssong.com/