(Untitled)

[slavemistress]

So on my train to and from work I keep saying posters that say "Alzheimers the disease that could bankrupt a nation."

What? How is this possible? Can someone explain this claim?

Serious and nonserious answer welcome

Comments

[terrifies_you]

We have an ageing population - the baby boomers are reaching old age and people have fewer kids nowadays so the working-age population is shrinking. Combined with that, life expectancy is increasing, so more people are living to an age where dementia would manifest. We have proportionately more older people than ever before, and therefore more people with dementia. The cost of care for an older person with dementia can be really high (not even considering the number of informal/unpaid carers - which further decreases the workforce as people take time out of work to care for elderly relatives). That cost is a huge 'burden' (I hate that word) on the NHS in the UK, and I'd imagine on other healthcare systems around the world.

[nightmer]

There's also a whole lot of new panic about how Alzheimer's is secretly "type III diabetes" and Alzheimer's is going to spike in the next few decades as more and more overweight people get older. So lots of baby boomers needing way more care than expected.

[slavemistress]

This is what my roommate said.

[gloraelin]

I think that it depends on whether you want to take the phrasing literally or a bit more figuratively. As people have said, Alzheimer's care is waaaaaaay more expensive than "standard" elder care, because of the need for extra staff and stuff. In addition, as the disease progresses, it starts to affect more than memory. As the plaques in the brain spread, they start to take over/disrupt/whatever motor function and coordination. Eventually, a person with Alzheimer's will be either wheelchair- or bed-ridden, as they can't "keep it together" enough to stand or sit correctly without straps or other padding