6.9M US seniors live with Alzheimer's

But dementia rates have fallen, annual report says

By: Ken Alltucker
USA Today

..... A new report estimates 6.9 million older Americans are living whit Alzheimer's disease in 2024, an increase of about 200,000 cases of the mind-robbing disease form 2023.
..... Another 5 million to 7 million adults have mild cognitive impairment, a set of early changes to memory and thinking linked to Alzheimer's annul facts and figures report released Wednesday. [03/20/2024]
..... But the report also has some good news; Studies indicate that dementia rate have declined over the past 25 years a smoker adults are achieving higher levels of education, staying active and exercising, reducing their blood pressure, avoiding cigarettes and staying socially engaged.
..... Adults face a higher risk of Alzheimer's and other types of dementia as they age, and the number of Americans 65 and older is projected to swell from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million in 2050. In just six years, the youngest baby boomers will be 65.
..... The nations; aging population will cerate profound economic and social challenges. The annual cost of caring for people with Alzheimer's or other types of dementia will be $360 billion in 2024, up $15 billion from a year ago, the report said
..... Medicare and Medicaid will cover the bulk of that, spending $231 billion this year [2024] to care for people with Alzheimer's and dementia. Public and private spending to take care of Alzheimer's and dementia patients will skyrocket to nearly $1 trillion in 2050, the report projects.
..... "Alzheimer's disease remains a significant public health crisis," said Sam Fazio, the Alzheimer's Association's senior director of quality care and psychosocial research.

Lifestyle changes reduce risk

..... Alzheimer's experts not involved with the report said more Americans are taking steps to reduce their risk for Alzheimer's or dementia.
..... Research suggest that up to 40% of dementia cases can be prevented through lifestyle changes, said Dr. Keith Vossel, a neurologist and director of the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Research and Care at the University of California, Los Angeles.
..... Vossel said people who exercise regularly, do not smoke and achieve higher levels of education tend to have lower risk. Reducing blood pressure in midlife, in particular, is linked to lower risk, he said.
..... Paying close attention to elevated blood pressure is really important, Vossel said.

Caregivers spend 31 hours per week on patients

..... Families and other caregivers take on an array of tasks to care for people with Alzheimer's or dementia. The report said 11.5 million relative and caregivers provided more than 18 million hours of unpaid care last year, [2023] at an individual average of nearly 31 hours per week.
..... In July, [2023] the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will launch an initiative to improve the quality of life for people with dementia, enabling them to remain at home while reducing the strain on unpaid caregivers.
..... The model, called Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, will coordinate care and provide a 24/7 support line. Care navigators will be available to connect patients and caregivers to services and support. Doctors and clinics that participate will receive a monthly per-patient fee from Medicare.
....., Fazio said access to navigators is critical because the report showed that families are living under a great deal of stress and workers in the field don't think the health care system is equipped to help.
..... Families "really want help and need help to navigate the system," Fazio said.
..... President Joe Biden recently expanded a similar navigator plan for cancer patients in which private health insurers will cover such services.

New drugs, old target

..... Of the eight drugs approved for Alzheimer's patients, only two attempt to attack the disease and slow decline in memory and thinking. One of those drugs, aducanumab, has been discontinued by its maker, Biogen. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, sold under the band name Aduhelm, despite mixed clinical trial results. Biogen faced withering criticism when it launched Aduhelm at $56,000 annually.
..... In January 2023, Eisai won Food and Drug Administration approval for its amyloid beta-busting drug, lecanemab. sole under the brand name Lquembi, the drug is intend for patients in the early states of the disease.
..... The Alzheimer's Association report notes that the benefits of lecanemab "in the short term may be imperceptible" because it's designed to slow the disease, not reverse cognitive decline. The report said long-term results of the drug are not clear.
..... Earlier this month, [03/2024] for Eli Lilly's drug donanemab, the drug manufacturer said. The FDA expects to convene an advisory committee to discuss the drug.
..... Clinical trials of all three amyloid-remving drugs have side effects visible on brain scans, such as brain swelling and bleeding. Some patients don't notice symptoms. Others have experienced headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion and vision changes.
..... While drug-makers largely have focused on drugs to target and clear amyloid from the brains of Alzheimer's patients, the report says other studies are examining different methods of attacking the disease.
..... Potential drugs are being studied to limit the cumulation of tau protein, inflammation, altered cell metabilism and damage from toxic oxygen molecules, the report said.

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