Need for dementia caregivers grows as boomers age

World leaders set a goal for a cure or treatment for dementia by 2025 at the recent G8 summit in London.

But for now, caregiving is among the most pressing issue for people with Alzheimer's and other forms of .

The Chicago-based Alzheimer's Association says there are an estimated 15 million caregivers in the United States. And as age and live longer, those numbers are expected to grow.

Katie Halloran, a 29-year-old teacher from suburban Chicago, is one of those caregivers.

She races home each day to her 62-year-old father Mike, who has Alzheimer's, to take over for his paid caregiver. As his condition worsens, she and her siblings are considering full-time care—a move Katie dreads.

© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Need for dementia caregivers grows as boomers age (2013, December 17) retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-dementia-caregivers-boomers-age.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Dementia cases to treble worldwide by 2050 (Update)

 shares

Feedback to editors