Alzheimer's Disease Crisis

Alzheimer's disease "a public health crisis," group says.
NBC Nightly News (3/9, story 8, 2:20 Williams) reported that, according to a new report, Alzheimer's disease threatens to become "what the Alzheimer's Association calls a public health crisis." NBC chief science correspondent Robert Bazell explained, "The Alzheimer's Association says the number with the disease will jump 50% to 7.7 million in the next two decades unless scientists find a truly effective treatment or a cure."
USA Today (3/10, Marcus) reports that, according to the report, called "'2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures,' 5.3 million people are living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia." Minorities are disproportionately affected, as evidenced by the fact that "African Americans are almost twice as likely as whites to have Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, and Hispanics are about one and a half times more likely to be stricken with it." Maria Carrillo, of the Alzheimer's Association, "says higher rates of diabetes and heart disease in the African-American and Hispanic communities probably are linked to increased rates of dementia."
"Alzheimer's for minorities presents unique challenges," CNN (3/10, Park) points out. "Socioeconomic disparities can prevent access to healthcare, early detection, or proper management of other conditions linked to the disease, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, said Angela Geiger, the chief strategy officer for the Alzheimer's Association." Moreover, "minorities may not get early treatment, when medications are more likely to be effective and when patients are more capable of making plans, according to the report." Some minority patients may also encounter language difficulties that get in the way of better care.
Focusing more on the overall financial burden, HealthDay (3/9, Reinberg) reported that "Medicare costs for Alzheimer's patients are almost three times higher than for other older people, and Medicaid costs are almost nine times higher, the report found." Despite that, "far less is spent on Alzheimer's research than on other diseases. In fact, 'for every $25,000 the government spends on care for people with Alzheimer's and dementia, it spends only $100 for Alzheimer research,' the report said."