Читать книгу The Alzheimer's Epidemic - Danton O'Day - Страница 16

It’s tough to worry about the world around you and what the future will bring when you or someone close to you has developed Alzheimer’s disease. While the implications of losing one’s touch with reality are overwhelming, the disease has other wide-ranging effects. It decreases the quality of life not only for the sufferer but also for family members, for whom the impact is equally devastating. One’s own family is the predominant cornerstone for the care of the Alzheimer’s sufferer. For example, it has been estimated that in Canada the psychological impact of having the responsibility of being the primary caregiver is immense. Between 40 and 70% of caregivers have been shown to experience psychological problems because of the pressures they face in having to assist someone with the disease. With 15–30% of caregivers, these responsibilities led to full clinical depression. There is little doubt that these numbers can be extrapolated to family caregivers worldwide. The number of hours family caregivers lovingly sacrifice is great and increases as the disease continues to progress in the family member they care for. In Canada, the total time dedicated to caring for family members with the disease will approach 800 million hours per year. When this is coupled with annual healthcare costs reaching up to 150 billion dollars within the next 25–30 years, it becomes clear why we are facing a true Alzheimer’s epidemic.