Plan for the Alzheimer’s assault

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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We know it's coming. We have a good idea of how it could affect people and resources. But Iowa needs a clear strategy on how to prepare and care for the growing wave of Alzheimer's patients expected over the next several decades.

The Alzheimer's Association just-released 2011 report should help get our attention, especially in a state with a higher-than-average proportion of elderly population. Since 2000, the number of people 65 and older with Alzheimer's has increased 9 percent to 71,000. By 2025, expect 18 percent growth to 77,000.

No cure is on the horizon for this cruel, progressive disease that leads to death over a period of several years and also takes its toll on caregivers, such as family members or friends. In just two years, the number of caregivers for Alzheimer's and other dementia patients in Iowa has increased nearly 40 percent to 131,854. In 2010, they provided more than 150 million hours of unpaid care, valued at nearly $1.8 billion.

Alzheimer's is the nation's sixth-leading cause of death and moving up fast.

The implications of all these numbers are sobering for all of us, even if we're not directly affected. Most Alzheimer's patients wind up in nursing homes after their caregivers can no longer meet their needs. Personal financial resources often are drained well before death arrives, which means Medicaid coverage takes over. And the cost of this care averages nine times higher than payments for those without Alzheimer's.

So brace yourselves. Expect Medicaid costs to soar. Given that Medicaid is jointly funded by federal and state governments, and most states already struggle to fund their share, Iowa needs a strategy and action plan in place soon.

The good news is that legislators have this issue on their radar. HF390, expected to be debated this week, would require the Department of Public health to convene a stakeholder group to design such a strategy by Nov. 15. In the process, the group would review a task force report presented in 2008 that included 22 recommendations for the next decade - but with little action since.

The Legislature should support this bill. Alzheimer's won't slow its assault any time soon, that's for sure. And Iowans can't afford to wait much longer for an effective plan.

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