Alzheimer’s and dementia statistics

Chances are, you probably know someone who suffers from either Alzheimer’s and/or Dementia.

According to a fact sheet on the Alzheimer’s Association’s website, there are currently 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease.  Of this number, 5.2 million are over the age of 65.  In addition, an article on emedicinehealth’s website estimated that about 4 to 5 million people in the United States have dementia, or about 1 percent of people ages 60 to 64 and 30 to 50 percent of those 85 years and up.

Housing options for people with dementia

Finding a place for people with either dementia or Alzheimer’s to live used to be more challenging: the only choices were typically to have the patient live with family members or move into a nursing home.  But now, numerous group homes across Arizona are equipped to handle patients with these health issues. This can be a huge relief for both the patient as well as his or her family, because it can be tremendously emotionally and physically draining to take care of a patient with worsening dementia, and placing him or her into a nursing home is typically very costly.

Group homes that specialize in dementia and Alzheimer’s care usually have more staff members than typical assisted living or group homes.  This is so the residents with dementia will have the extra attention they need and deserve, as well as because the residents tend to require more on-going care.  In addition, these staff members should be trained on the often unique needs and challenges that accompany dementia.  If you are considering placing your loved one in one of these types of care facilities, asking about the type of training the staff received is both appropriate and a good idea.

The dementia care group home is often physically different than the traditional group home.  Floor plans are sometimes more basic so it’s easier for the residents to get around and make their way back to their rooms without any help. Many offer things to do that can help residents get much-needed social interaction as well as mentally stimulating activities.  The level of security at dementia care homes also tends to be higher than most assisted living or group homes.  Because sometimes people with advancing dementia or Alzheimer’s can tend to wander off from their homes, residents are usually watched much more closely and doors may have extra security features that will prevent people from getting outside unattended and unnoticed.