Alzheimer's Cases To Increase, Costs Also Rise

According to a new report, the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease will rise dramatically over the next 15 years.The report predicts that by the end of the year, there will be about 80 thousand total Alzheimer's cases in Kentucky, and 100 thousand in Indiana.   It says those numbers will jump to 97 thousand and 130 thousand, respectively by 2025.Local Alzheimer's Association President Teri Shirk attributes the increase to the aging Baby Boomer population.  She says as more people are diagnosed,  the burden on the health care industry will get heavier."I don't see that the health care community in general could possibly be prepared for the extreme costs and extreme needs of that growing population," she says.Shirk says the costs of treating a patient with Alzheimer's are about 3 times higher than those for other patients.