Training Can Help Alzheimer's Caregivers

Simple training can significantly ease the burden for caregivers of Alzheimer's patients and help keep those patients out of nursing homes for an additional 1 1/2 years. The problem is most caregivers don't have the time to take the training.

More than 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease. One in eight people 65 and older are afflicted, one in two of those older than 85. By 2050, 16 million American's are projected to have the degenerative disease.

"I don't think society and policymakers have fully grasped the future magnitude of what we're up against," said Dr. Richard Suzman of the National Institute on Aging.

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) has introduced legislation that would give families a $3,000 federal income tax credit to offset some of the expenses and lost income of caring for a family member with Alzheimer's. Actual costs run from about $7,400 a year for moderate dementia to $17,700 for severe dementia.

At New York University's School of Medicine, 406 elderly people caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's were studied. Half received special training tailored to their family's particular needs. The other half received the standard Alzheimer's support: a list of Alzheimer's resources. Tracking the families for 17 years, study director Mary Mittleman found that trained caregivers were able to keep their loved ones out of a nursing home for an average of 1 1/2 years longer than those who received no training. With annual nursing home costs averaging $60,000, that's a family savings of $90,000 or more.