Page 12 - Healthy Brain Initiative, State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia: The 2018-2023 Road Map

While caring for someone with Alzheimer’s and THE PUBLIC HEALTH ROLE
other dementias can be a rewarding experience, it
can also be demanding and challenging. This crisis cannot be ignored. Public health has
a critical role to play in promoting the cognitive
» In 2017, 16 million family members and friends functioning of adults across the life course and
provided 18.4 billion hours of unpaid care to addressing soaring costs to healthcare, social, and
people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, at economic systems. By applying its broad community-
an economic value of more than $232 billion. 1 based approach (see Figure 2), public health can:

» The tasks required of caregivers for people Accelerate risk reduction: Several modifiable risk
with dementia can be particularly personal and factors for developing Alzheimer’s disease and other
burdensome. Nearly half provide help getting dementias have been identified. Expert panels have
in and out of bed. Compared with caregivers called attention to traumatic brain injury, smoking,
for people with non-dementia conditions, they diet, physical activity, cardiovascular risk, and other
are much more likely to assist with bathing or modifiable factors that also correspond with an overall
showering and to deal with incontinence. 1 healthy lifestyle and improved quality of life.

» Caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s and other Advance early detection and diagnosis: The
dementias are two and a half times more likely earlier dementia is diagnosed, the sooner care can be
than caregivers for people with other conditions provided. A formal diagnosis allows people living with
to help with emotional or mental challenges and dementia to have access to available symptomatic
nearly four times as likely to assist with behavioral treatments and interventions, build a care team,
issues. 1 participate in support services, and potentially enroll
in clinical trials. They and their caregivers can set
» About one in three Alzheimer’s caregivers systems in place to better manage medications,
report their health has gotten worse due to care receive counseling, and address the challenges
responsibilities, compared with one out of five of other chronic conditions. Additional advantages
caregivers of other older adults. 5
include planning for future financial and legal needs
» In all, the physical and emotional impact on and end of life choices.
caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s and other
dementias resulted in an estimated $11.4 billion
in increased caregiver health costs in 2017. 1 •

6 Healthy Brain Initiative State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia: The 2018–2023 Road Map