The costs of dementia

Losing one’s mental facilities is not on anyone’s New Year wish list. But for 1 in 5 women, and 1 in 10 men, and everyone who loves them, that’s the reality, whether to dementia in general or the more specific form of Alzheimer Disease. On top of that, over 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for loved ones with dementia, more than 18 billion hours valued at nearly $340 billion. Yes, both of those last two numbers start with a b. And that’s per year; this was from a 2021 infographic, the estimate for 2023 was that it would cost $345 billion for that year, and for 2050 $1 trillion.

What does this book cover well?

This book does a good job of covering what dementia needs look like. If you are an aging parent expecting your working age children to caregive for you, be aware of what you’re expecting them to undertake. And if you are a working age adult child who is facing a parent whose faculties may be starting to fail, it’s good to have an idea of what that future path may look like, and what resources you might need to utilize at different points along the journey.

It also covers a fair amount of medical stuff, for those that need or want that background. And it’s published by Johns Hopkins Press. But if that’s stuff you already know, or if it’s overwhelming, you can skip all of that and just focus on the practicalities of day to day implications.

And finally, the book briefly touches on a very important topic in the middle of the book, Chapter 4, Problems with Independent Living: how to assess when someone needs help with tasks they’ve previously managed themselves. Important topics to come up with family contracts on in advance include:

• when to stop managing money
• when to stop driving
• when to no longer live alone
• when to get help with healthcare decisions (this one was not covered in this book, unfortunately)

Check out The Conversation Project for tips on these types of discussions.

What doesn’t this book cover well?

It doesn’t do a great job of tying into the book title, about just how draining and time consuming the task of caregiving can be.

It also doesn’t tell you about the products that can make caring for your loved one with dementia a little easier. For instance, this article tells about the value of a clock, that instead of just the time, also tells whether it’s day or night, the date, and the day of the week. There are also bed alarms that can let a caregiver sleep more soundly, knowing they will be alerted if their loved one starts to roam in the middle of the night. And an identification / contact information bracelet can be invaluable to help return someone who has strayed. For more ideas, search your favorite shopping site for dementia products, and see if any of the suggestions will solve pain points you’re currently encountering.

Where can I get this book?

Of course one can buy this book at any number of book retailors, but for those in Olmsted County you can also find it in e-book, audiobook, or paper through the Rochester Public Library.