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The sad truth about Alzheimer's disease, is that it progressively gets worse. I want to provide some numbers below that I found on the Alz.org website. Current 2024 statistics show that 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's and more than 11 million caregivers provide unpaid care for their loved ones.
Specifically, in West Virginia, statistics show 38,100 people, age 65 or older, have Alzheimer's or a related dementia. That is 10.2% of adults over age 65, live with Alzheimer's disease in West Virginia. There are over 65,000 caregivers, and 63.5% of those have a chronic health condition. For West Virginia alone, the total hours of unpaid care is 115,000,000, for a total value of unpaid care of $1,585,000,000. That seems unbelievable to me, but I stop and think about all the families and people I know suffering from Alzheimer's, and all of the caregivers it takes to provide care to just one person, I kinda get it. The Medicaid cost of caring for people with Alzheimer's (2020) was $445 million dollars in little old West Virginia. Imagine the cost throughout the U.S.
Sadly, Alzheimer's disease does not get the spotlight it deserves compared to other major illnesses. I see a lot about Alzheimer's because I follow several different groups on social media. This disease is near and dear to my heart, and I try to learn everything I can about it. I feel some hope, as the next president said he would like to give a tax credit for caregivers. Hearing 63.5% of West Virginia caregivers have chronic health conditions is an overwhelming statistic. How can we help in these situations?
Best practice: Are you a child of a caregiver parent and a parent suffering from Alzheimer's disease? The caregiver will always place their focus on the person with AD, and you, as the child, need to make the caregiver your focus. Volunteer time so the caregiver can get out of the house for a few hours, or go on weekend trips with family or friends. I know I have written about this before, but I feel this is the number one topic for people to focus on, and where they can put their efforts to help in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. Making food and delivering it to people's homes is such a great way to show support. Provide transportation when needed; help the caregiver make a food pick-up order and go pick it up and bring it in the house for them; mow lawns, rake leaves, or sweep snow off of sidewalks, etc. Teach the younger generation how to take care of the older generation, as they will be there one day. I have yet to meet a person who volunteers their time to help others, and then regrets that they did it. Life is about love and giving. Be the person that helps those in need as often as possible. You will see improvements in your mood and life immediately. Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give!