With estimates of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease rising as high as 5.1 million, it’s clear that more attention needs to be paid to this disease. As the population ages, an increased number of cases are coming to light. Alzheimer’s disease, or AD, is a condition caused by changes in the brain, markedly affecting memory and other mental abilities. As the individual’s mental capacity decreases, it offers an increasing number of challenges both to the one with the disease and the loved ones who assume caretaking duties.

Alzheimer’s Statistics

Worldwide, an estimated 44 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Another 47.5 million have dementia. As age rises, Alzheimer’s becomes more common: at the age of 65, approximately 1 in 9 individuals will have Alzheimer’s disease. This isn’t a cheap disease: it’s estimated that dementia costs between $159 billion and $215 billion each year. To give some perspective, this is a greater cost than either heart disease or cancer.

The greatest risk factors for Alzheimer’s include age, genetics, and family history. Individuals over the age of 85, for example, have a 1 in 3 chance of developing symptoms of Alzheimer’s. It’s also estimated that Latinos and African Americans have higher chances of developing the disease than other Americans. Most of the risk factors of Alzheimer’s can’t be controlled; however, avoiding head trauma and increased cardiovascular health can help decrease the odds that the disease will manifest itself.

What Alzheimer’s Means for Those Affected

Alzheimer’s is not a part of the normal aging process. While many of the early symptoms, including forgetfulness and deceasing ability to handle everyday tasks, may be seen as normal signs of aging, Alzheimer’s patients find that it goes further than that. Typical signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s include:

• Memory loss that is disruptive to daily life
• Planning and/or problem-solving challenges
• Inability to complete familiar tasks properly
• Confusion about current location or the current season, month, or even year
• Trouble reading, judging distance, or determining color or contrast as visual discrimination decreases
• Unfamiliar problems with speaking or writing
• Misplacing things without the ability to retrace steps and find the item
• Judgment challenges
• Social withdrawal
• Dramatic shifts in mood or personality

Alzheimer’s disease is progressive, which means that it grows worse over time. Some medications can slow the progression of symptoms and give individuals more time, but there is currently no cure. There are seven stages of Alzheimer’s disease ranging from no impairment early in the individual’s life, little impairment when a few signs may begin emerging, and a mild decline when friends and family start to notice issues to severe and very severe decline, when individuals with Alzheimer’s struggle to relate to their environments.

Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t come with a simple diagnosis. Instead, it begins with taking a thorough medical history. Patients will then undergo a physical and mental examination to rule out other potential causes of dementia-like symptoms. The exam may include blood tests and brain imaging.

Once Alzheimer’s disease has been diagnosed, treatment can begin. In many cases, medication can slow or temporarily halt the progression of symptoms. Once symptoms begin to worsen, mental function can be maintained through brain games and other exercises in order to extend normal cognitive ability as much as possible. Behavioral challenges are managed by keeping the individual in familiar surroundings and decreasing the stimulus in the environment to help avoid jarring or discomfort.

People don’t die as a direct result of Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, they die as a result of related complications. Multi-organ failure is a common cause of death in Alzheimer’s patients. Other potential causes include heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and lung infections.

What Alzheimer’s Means for Caregivers

Once a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the learning process begins. Caregivers for those with Alzheimer’s require a great deal of emotional support as they become the primary support for their loved one. Family roles often shift as a result of the diagnosis, with children and other relatives becoming the primary caretakers.

An Alzheimer’s diagnosis also means a shift in financial and legal responsibilities. It’s important to create a living will and designate power of attorney as early in the process as possible. Financial matters will need to be overseen or handled entirely by a competent individual to ensure that the elderly loved one will be cared for as well as possible.

The Alzheimer’s diagnosis doesn’t mean that there aren’t still times of joy ahead. The disease’s relatively slow progression offers plenty of opportunity for shared laughter, intimacy, and social experiences. Both the individual with Alzheimer’s and their loved ones will have opportunities to adjust to everything that the diagnosis means before the disease takes over.

As baby boomers age, innovation within the aging industry is a necessity. This is a new generation of seniors who expect quality, comfort, and convenience that will take care of all of their needs. There is an incredible new level of technology available that should be fully and creatively exploited in order to provide boomers with the lifestyles they expect as they grow older. Many industry trends have already arisen in areas of speed, mobility, comfort, fashion, safety, independence, and individual choice.

Here are some of the latest trends in each of these market areas:

1. No Need for Age to Slow Things Down

Today’s seniors are technology-savvy. They understand just how fast the internet can run and all the different ways it can connect them to the people they love the most. From smart phone technology that keeps their health information in the palm of their hands to video calls with loved ones across the world, seniors need technology that keeps their lives moving quickly. Many apps and programs, such as MedWatcher, Find my iPad, or Words With Friends, have been designed to offer just that.

2. Mobility Is a Critical Issue

As baby boomers age, they’re discovering that it’s harder to get around. Making accommodations for that particular symptom of aging, however, can make them feel old—and that’s the last thing that baby boomers want! Mobility products aimed at making it easier for seniors to get around without weighing them down with the stigma of aging are a priority for many seniors. Equally important is long-distance mobility in spite of slowing reflexes and decreased eyesight: driverless vehicles are one product currently in development—projected by Tesla CEO Elon Musk to be here by 2018— to enhance senior mobility.

3. Comfort Stays in the Front Seat

Seniors want the available benefits, but they want them without sacrificing comfort. This generation is used to comfort and luxury, and they expect that to continue throughout the aging process. Increasing senior comfort is an important aspect of the senior care industry, from providing the innovations they need to continue aging in place—even when health concerns start to take priority—to offering services or technologies that will make it easier for them to handle daily care tasks, such as WalkJoy or Respondesign.

4. Fashion Doesn’t Disappear with Age

Seniors don’t have to give up fashion! There are several fashion lines that are aimed at allowing seniors to look their best. Seniors today aren’t sitting at home in shapeless dresses and pants that come up to their chests. Instead, they’re taking on the world—and they’re continuing to express their unique style as they do it. Classic designs—as well as some outrageous signature pieces mature women will add to their wardrobe to define their character—are a critical part of the fashion industry.

5. Safety and Independence Go Hand in Hand

Most baby boomers are holding on to their independence as hard as they can. They understand that their bodies are no longer as young as they once were, but they’re tackling those limitations and looking for innovations that will make it safe for them to maintain their independence for as long as possible. Home renovations such as increased lighting, changed appliances or bathtubs, and single-level flooring plans can make it easier and safer for seniors to remain in their homes, while larger buttons, handles instead of knobs, and easily accessible storage can make normal tasks easier.

6. Individual Choice: Everyone Is Different

One senior isn’t necessarily anything like the next. The baby boomer generation has defined individual choice, and that desire continues throughout the later years of their lives. They expect to be able to continue to personalize their experiences and their expectations, from their travel plans to their home designs. If you’re hoping to break into the aging services industry, personalization is one of the keys to ensuring that seniors get the products and services they want.

There are immense opportunities in the aging product and service industries. Seniors need a wide variety of products and services in order to provide for their needs, and there are openings in the industry for anyone with a great idea and the drive to see it through. By taking into consideration everything that today’s seniors need, it’s possible to create opportunities for yourself and your business while providing necessary and useful services at the same time.

Today’s seniors are living longer than ever before. On the surface, that sounds great: a longer lifespan means more time to do everything they’ve ever dreamed of! There’s just one problem: the graying of America is causing not only a great deal of personal expense to many Americans, but also public expense as the increased cost of caring for seniors puts heavier demand on the existing systems designed to provide for them. Here are some important pointers relevant to states on the east coast and across the country.

The Cost of Long-Term Care

Most senior care options don’t come cheap. Many seniors experience this reality all too quickly. Nursing homes can add up fast: a private room in America’s average nursing home facility costs close to $7,000 per month, running even higher in some states like NY. Even a semi-private room runs over $6,000. For this reason, many seniors are now trying to avoid nursing homes for as long as possible. One popular option is an assisted living facility, which still runs an average of $3,200 per month across the United States. Continuing Care Retirement Communities, which are open to seniors who require varying levels of care, can average more than any other option: with entrance fees that can equal $100,000 or more and monthly fees that average between $3,000 and $5,000, these are not communities for elderly individuals who are struggling to make ends meet. In fact, many seniors struggle to find the means to pay for their long-term care, leaving Medicaid, Medicare, and other public care programs responsible for paying for their twilight years.

Aging in Place

To help lower costs, many seniors choose to age in place, staying at home instead of moving into a long-term care facility. Aging in place, however, isn’t as inexpensive as it sounds at first. As increased care goes from convenience to necessity, many seniors find themselves needing to make modifications to their homes. They might need to install grab bars, widen doorways and add ramps for wheelchairs, or install a new bathtub or shower. Eventually, a hospital bed or rails for the existing bed may be needed. Home modifications, however, are not the only expensive parts of aging in place. Those seniors who choose this option may also find themselves needing to pay for in-home care, meal delivery, and even adult day care services in order to make it possible for them to stay at home longer.

Medicare and Medicaid Sustainability

Fifty years ago, Medicare and Medicaid were created in order to protect seniors and provide them with the medical care they needed during their twilight years. Unfortunately, it was impossible to predict the advances in medical technology or the current imbalance of seniors compared to the working population: as baby boomers enter their twilight years, more people are in need of Medicaid and Medicare services than ever before. The rising cost of health care has also put so much strain on these systems that they’re in danger of collapsing under it. Unfortunately, these programs are no longer adequate to providing the care that America’s graying population will need in the years to come.

Planning for the Future

Dealing with the rising cost of senior care isn’t just a personal problem. It’s necessary, as time goes on, to find ways to reduce the cost of elder care; find solutions that allow for the preservation of health of senior adults; and to look into European models that are currently effective in providing the care that seniors need. Improvements to the existing health care system are certainly necessary in order to ensure that seniors are able to receive the quality of care they deserve.

Personal planning as well as public planning is imperative at this juncture in order to prevent crisis. Baby boomers are hitting their twilight years quickly, and there aren’t enough solutions currently available to handle their medical needs. Seniors need to be prepared to handle their own costs of aging for as long as possible in order to help ease the burden on an over-stretched system. The public, however, will need to make changes to deal with its aging seniors sooner rather than later.

Summer is a favorite time of year for many people. Everyone relishes the opportunity to enjoy their favorite outdoor activities, especially after a winter of feeling trapped indoors. As people age, however, they are more vulnerable to the dangers of heat, sun exposure, and dehydration. In addition, dehydration may increase the risk of a serious cardiovascular event like a heart attack, stroke or kidney failure. During a record-breaking heat wave, one study found that the increased heat triggered not just an increase in emergency room trips, but a 75% increase in heat-related deaths.

Why It’s a Problem

As you age, you don’t sweat as well as young people—which means that it’s harder to cool off. It’s also more difficult to adjust to sudden changes in temperature, like heading outside after sitting in an air-conditioned house or car. Stepping quickly from one extreme to the other can also cause stress on the body that makes it difficult to adjust to the temperature change. Seniors are also more likely to have chronic medical conditions that change the body’s normal response to heat, take prescription medications that may impair the body’s ability to regulate its temperature, or even take medications that inhibit perspiration. Seniors also don’t notice the increased heat the way younger people do, which can make it difficult for them to recognize the signs and risks associated with high temperatures.

Signs of Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are heat-related illnesses caused by spending too much time in the heat, usually accompanied by dehydration. When heat stroke occurs, the body may lose its ability to regulate temperature. The most obvious external signs of heat exhaustion include confusion, dizziness, fainting, and fatigue. The individual suffering from heat exhaustion may also complain of headache, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea. Muscle cramps and dark-colored urine are further signs that heat exhaustion has occurred. In the event of heat stroke, a racing heart, rapid breathing, flushed skin, and an extremely high body temperature, generally around 104, will appear.

Avoiding Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion in the Elderly

The first step to avoiding heat stroke and heat exhaustion is to remain hydrated. Cutting back on caffeine and alcohol and drinking plenty of liquids, especially water, will make it easier to keep the body functioning normally. Dressing appropriately, including layered clothing when you anticipate going in and outside several times, can help keep heat exhaustion and heat stroke at bay. It’s also important to choose outside time carefully. Seniors shouldn’t stay outside for too long, and remaining inside during the mid-day hours can be helpful. It’s also important to use air conditioning or open the windows at night, when you will be less likely to recognize symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Seniors should seek air-conditioned environments throughout the majority of the day.

Checking the heat index and the weather forecast before you go out is another great way to ensure that you won’t end up outside in too-hot temperatures, especially if you no longer “feel” the heat the way you once did. Use skin protection: avoid direct sun exposure as much as possible and keep sunscreen readily accessible, where it’s easy to use and you will remember it often. If you’re going to be participating in an outdoor activity, take plenty of breaks to cool down when necessary.

Be aware of the side effects of your prescriptions and how your body responds to strenuous activity. Make sure that you know the warning signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion and pay attention to them: don’t ignore symptoms just to enjoy a little bit more time outdoors. It can also be helpful to rinse away the heat of the day by taking a cool shower or getting in the water outside.

By knowing the symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion and taking steps to protect yourself or senior loved ones, you can prepare for a happier, healthier summer for everyone. If the senior in your life experiences heat-related issues, make sure that they seek medical attention immediately. Paying attention to the heat and staying away from the sun during the hottest part of the day will ensure that they are less likely to experience problems.

Financing assisted living or elder care for a loved one presents quite a dilemma – how do you provide the best quality care and keep your finances secure at the same time? It’s a difficult consideration, but if you’re willing to do some research, there are ways in which you can save money while simultaneously providing quality care for the ones you love.

1. Assess Your Medicaid Options

Elder care and assisted living options available through Medicaid vary by state, so your first step is to check your area’s Department of Community Health. Generally, Medicaid covers the healthcare needs of low-income people; however, several states also have waiver programs for the elderly and folks with disabilities who need help with day-to-day expenses. Additionally, some states cover personal and nursing services as well. It is also worth noting that Medicaid was recently expanded under the Affordable Care Act, so if your loved ones didn’t qualify before, they might now – try filling out an application at the Health Insurance Marketplace to find out. You don’t need to worry about the open enrollment deadline, as it doesn’t apply to Medicaid applications.

2. Investigate Financial Aid

A variety of financial aid options exist beyond just Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Look into Veteran Affairs (VA) benefits programs (if applicable), non-profit foundations, and long-term care insurance (if care isn’t needed yet) to help offset your costs. Religious organizations such as The Good Samaritan Society can help you find affordable housing options and offer other forms of assistance as well.

3. Consider an Independent Caregiver

Choosing a qualified independent caregiver instead of a professional organization can save you as much as 30% in costs, according to The American Elder Care Research Organization. However, make sure you invest in a background check to confirm that your caregiver is qualified and reputable. To find independent caregivers near you, try the CareFamily website. You can also check with friends, family, and social organizations to see if they can refer you to a quality independent caregiver.

4. Use a Home Monitoring Service

If your loved one needs light supervision instead of full-time assistance, try installing a home monitoring service. This system allows you to monitor the individual from a remote location with the use of cameras and sensors. If this exceeds your price range, consider Lifeline, a device designed by Philips. Lifeline connects the elder individual to a trained response associate in the case of a slip or fall. One of its newly added features automatically alerts a response associate if a fall is detected by the device, even if the person wearing it doesn’t manually call in. The associate can then assess the situation and contact a family member, send emergency services if necessary, and follow up to see that help has arrived.

5.Use a Meal Service

Preparing homemade meals for your loved one can be time-consuming and strenuous. If your budget is tight, consider a meal service. You can specify dietary restrictions, and choose how many meals an elder receives in a given day. If you are trying to help regulate your loved one’s diet, this is an excellent option as well. Two services to consider that offer extensive menus are CarePathways and DineWise.

Final Thoughts Your best bet is to always shop the competition, and your most effective way to do so is to use the power of the Internet. Take your time and do the necessary research so that you can make an informed decision. Taking care of an elderly relative is something most of us are faced with, and learning to help and respond in a caring yet affordable way will help to relieve the stress from all involved parties.
What are you doing to impact your senior living costs?

Ron Sullivan is based in Georgia and writes about retirement, home care, and personal finance.
Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Senior Planning Services.