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In the year before a person’s death, half of family caregivers of someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia reported spending at least 46 hours per week providing care–59% of these caregivers felt that they were “on duty” 24-hours a day.

Schulz, Richard, Aaron B. Mendelsohn, William E. Haley, Diane Mahoney, Rebecca S. Allen, Song Zhang, Larry Thompson, and Steven H. Belle, for the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimerâ??s Caregiver Health (REACH) Investigators. End-of-Life Care and the Effects of Bereavement on Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia. N Engl J Med. 2003; 349(20): 1936-42. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/349/20/1936

Reference

Title
End-of-Life Care and the Effects of Bereavement on Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia
Publication
N Engl J Med
Publication Date
2003
Authors
Schulz, Richard, Aaron B. Mendelsohn, William E. Haley, Diane Mahoney, Rebecca S. Allen, Song Zhang, Larry Thompson, and Steven H. Belle, for the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimerâ??s Caregiver Health (REACH) Investigators
Volume & Issue
Volume 349, Issue 20
Pages
1936-42
URL
Read Full Resource

Categories

  • Cost of Disease
  • Human Burden

Related Facts

  • Of caregivers who work, 2/3 who cared for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias reported that they missed work, compared to 57% of other caregivers.  
  • In 2011, Alzheimer’s caregivers provided an estimated 17.4 billion hours of unpaid care, a contribution to the nation valued at over $210 billion.  
  • An estimated 60 to 70 percent of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias live in the community compared with 98 percent of older adults without Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.  
  • Average informal care costs over a five year period were estimated to be $83,022 for people with dementia vs. $38,272 fo
    Average informal care costs over a five year period were estimated to be $83,022 for people with dementia vs. $38,272 for those without dementia.  
  • Every 69 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s disease.