The Assembly Speaker's Task Force on Alzheimer's and Dementia made its only stop in northern Wisconsin Wednesday, with speakers telling the committee the victims and families need more help.
One of the presenters was Kathy Davies Greater Wisconsin Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. She profiled a disease without a cure, affecting more women than men, and as the population ages, more people will be getting the long term disease. She says it will become a larger portion of our healthcare budget... "....we know that Alzheimer's is one of the costliest diseases to society. The average per-person Medicare spending for people age 65 or older with Alzheimers or other dementias is three times higher than for seniors without dementia...."
Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and is the only chronic disease in the top ten where there's no cure, treatment or a way to prevent it. Women in their 60's are twice as likely to get Alzheimer's Disease than they are to get breast cancer. 1 in 9 people age 65 and older have Alzheimer's Disease, and one in three over age 85 have some form of dementia.
WXPR will broadcast a one-hour special on Alzheimer's Disease with local doctors, advocates and caregivers this Sunday at noon.
