COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:Alzheimer’s facts leave little to fear

It’s not surprising that Alzheimer’s emerged as the most feared disease among adults 55 and older in the recently released “MetLife Foundation Alzheimer’s Survey: What America Thinks.”

Across Orange County, an estimated 56,110 older adults currently have or are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease — with that number expected to grow by 63% to 91,635 by 2020. As an average of three close family members are involved in the care of any single person with Alzheimer’s, this disease will, by 2020, directly impact at least 400,000 Orange County residents.

In his first inaugural address, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt cautioned the nation, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Spoken so many years ago, when millions of Americans faced the threat of joblessness following the Great Depression, Roosevelt’s famous words are relevant now to our country’s aging baby boomers as they face the impending healthcare crisis Alzheimer’s disease presents.

Fear — in the case of Alzheimer’s — breeds the stigma and stereotypes that result in older adults, their families and even healthcare professionals minimizing memory loss and delaying both diagnosis and treatment. If our community — and our nation as a whole — is to find effective solutions that better the lives of individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease while we continue to strive for a cure, we must stop perpetuating myths born from a lack of knowledge. Notably, while 93% of participants in the MetLife Foundation survey acknowledged being aware of Alzheimer’s, 74% knew little or nothing about the disease.

Everyone — including aging baby boomers and healthcare professionals — should know the following six facts about Alzheimer’s disease.

Memory loss is not a normal part of aging. It has long been believed that becoming “senile” is a natural consequence of growing older. While the risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases the older one gets, the disease is not inevitable.

Memory loss does not always lead to Alzheimer’s disease. At the first sign of forgetfulness, an older adult may hesitate to seek an evaluation, fearing the “slippery slope” to Alzheimer’s. In fact, memory loss is a symptom of many treatable conditions, such as depression, and a common side effect of medications older adults frequently take. In some cases, simply discontinuing or switching a medication can reverse symptoms of confusion.

It doesn’t take an autopsy to accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s can be diagnosed with 90% accuracy through a comprehensive evaluation that includes a neurological exam, medical history, brain imaging, blood work-ups and neuropsychological testing. If a brief memory screening by your physician indicates you are at risk, request a more extensive evaluation to rule out treatable causes of forgetfulness, (e.g., B12 deficiency) and determine if your cognitive difficulties are consistent with the pattern expected in Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is treatable. Sadly, too many families and healthcare professionals still believe there is “nothing you can do” if the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. To the contrary, recent studies have shown that starting an anti-dementia medication early can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and reduce risk of the need for later nursing home placement.

It’s never too early to access services. Too often, caregivers delay using services due to embarrassment, expectations that the family should provide care, or financial fears. Going it alone has a high price. Caregivers are more likely to succumb to mental and physical health problems — and even premature death — from the chronic stress of eldercare. For example, when enrollment in adult day services is delayed, the caregiver misses restorative time off and the affected individual loses out on the benefits of socialization and stimulation.

Adult day centers offer an affordable alternative for care. In-home care and nursing homes are not the only care options available to families. According to the Genworth Financial 2006 Cost of Care Survey, in-home care averages $23.80 hourly in Orange County, while a semi-private nursing home room averages $63,145 annually — costs few families can bear. Adult day centers — which offer recreational and health-related services within a therapeutic environment at an affordable daily cost, often with scholarship assistance available, represent the “treatment of choice” both for caregivers who need relief and for their loved ones who need pleasurable, meaningful ways to stay engaged in life.

One day a cure will finally end the fear of Alzheimer’s disease. Now we must combat it with knowledge that empowers older adults and families to take ad- vantage of treatments and ser- vices that will better their lives.

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