As the baby-boomer generation continues to age, the number of
Alzheimer’s disease cases is expected to double in the next decade. The
functional disability and need for clinical management associated with this
trend will outstrip our current workforce.
Making the correct diagnosis and prescribing cognitive
enhancing drugs is relatively easy compared to the time and effort required to
educate and support caregivers and help them cope with the complications of neurocognitive
disorders such as
depression, psychosis, agitation, and growing dependency for basic function.
Ninety five percent of these patients will be managed in home
settings that will require time and effort from family members who are
traditionally women that manage their own family with children as well as their
aging parents, many of whom also work themselves to make ends meet financially.
Social service agencies will therefore figure large in this equation to provide
day care and in-home help.
No comments:
Post a Comment