The Dementia Epidemic in our Oldest Adults

Leanna Moran — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:07:21 +0000

Today an interesting article popped up in the Scientific News. I’m not sure if you all use Google Reader, but it’s the greatest. It alerts me to articles that pertain to a list of keywords I’ve entered… one of which is “Alzheimer’s.” The article was just a reminder of this epidemic we are seeing with Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of dementia. Did you know that the incidence increases significantly with your age? This study was just performed on a 90yo plus cohort. Rates increased with age from 12.7% per year in the 90-94 age group, to 21.2% per year in the 95-99 age group, to 40.7% per year in the 100+ age group! Now sitting here as a young professional in my 30s, the 90s seem far away, but the truth is that our generations are more likely to live into our 90s than those that came before us. This means that not only will there be a larger number of elders living in our society with the Baby Boomers cohort aging, an alarming number of them will be afflicted by dementia of some type.

I’m proud to work for Senior Living Residences, where we are taking gigantic steps in creating a social and residential treatment model for those living with Alzheimer’s. In our Memory Support Neighorhoods, our residents are stimulated throughout the day with an adult learning program, that allows them to KEEP LEARNING! Imagine that.

We provide a brain-healthy diet, and through our affiliation with the BU Alzheimer’s Disease Center, our professional program directors are able to offer our residents and their families valuable advice and assistance as they journey through the disease process. We truly are on the cutting edge, and we hope that others are as committed to meeting the needs of the many individuals that will be impacted by Alzheimer’s in the future.

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The Dementia Epidemic in our Oldest Adults