The Silent Issue-Alzheimer's Disease

When it comes to health care issues, policy makers need to look at a very serious issues that is affecting American families everyday. The cost and toll that providing care for a family member diagnosed with Alzheimer's/Dementia has on families across America. Having personnally experienced first hand in providing care for my father who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, I feel that policy makers are not doing enough to help families ease the burden financially for those that are care providers. Policy makers are ignoring the inevitable. We are ignoring our seniors the right to better quality care. Not every family chooses or can afford to pay for a facility to provide long term care for a parent or spouse struggling daily with Alzheimer's Disease. When children have to provide care for a parent, financially things become very difficult.

The fastest growing segment of our popualtion is over the age of 80. And as life expectancy continues to increase, the problem will only get worse. In America today there are 4.5 million American men and women diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. Generally, the other spouse takes on the responsibility of providing care. The caregiver then is greatly affected in their own health and emotional well-being. With so much pressure placed upon them, they start to neglect their own needs and health. In turn the care provider can become ill as well.

In-home care, which is more cost effect than a facility, can provide families and caregivers with much needed breaks away from the stress of caregiving. To be able to regroup and have time for caring about their own health and well-being. To be able to live their own lives without the guilt because they feel overwhelmed. To alliviate stress that families feel in providing daily care. For the children providing care to their parents, being able to continue their own lives on a daily basis knowing that mom or dad is well taken care of and safe is worth everything. Not missing important things in their children's lives because becoming care provider for a parent has taken over their life. Once a person is diagnosed with this disease, he or she will spend the rest of their lives fully dependent on their families for their needs. The pressure and tension that is placed on families quickly becomes extemely difficult and overwhelming.

In trying to provide a better quality of life for their parent, families lose their own quality of life. Across America families are stuggling daily to balance their own lives, working, taking care of their own children while providing care for their parents as well. Never having their own quality time.

Families should have the choice and financial help if they choose to care for a parent at home. Policy makers need to look at this isuue and realize that more and more seniors are opting to remain at home and not be placed in a facility sometimes prematurely. Familie are realizing that they need financial assistance to provide care for their parents. In America, we should have the choice for our care. Policy makers need to address the issue that financially in-home care can be more cost effective when it comes to health care for seniors and families. Everyone deserves the best quality of care. Our parents are what made America strong. They have been our backbone. They have worked hard all their lives.
They do deserve that choice of remaining in the comfort and privacy of their own home. To be able to live in a dignified manner. To be able to age in place. But also to financially be able to alliviate the burden on their own children or spouse.