Alzheimer's 8: personal financial cost of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis at age 70 is $500,000

Prescription drugs can't reduce the cost of dementia, meanwhile the advice of alternative health professionals, and diet and lifestyle intervention can.

Summary:

The personal cost of Alzheimer’s dementia over a 7-year period is approximately $500,000. You can reduce this financial cost by starting early - while your brain is still sharp - by investing in modern alternative healthcare advice and implementing diet and lifestyle changes.

Graphic from What are the costs of dementia care in the UK?

This graphic only includes money paid for in-home and residential care. It does not include unpaid carer costs of those who care for their loved ones. If this were added in, we would see an additional £13.9 billion a year. Since there are nearly 1 million Dementia sufferers in the UK, the cost of dementia care in the UK comes to £19,000 per dementia sufferer per year. And there are additional costs related to health impairment of spouses and families, and employers’ costs related to absenteeism, lost productivity and employee turnover. Over the typical 7-year progression of Alzheimer’s, the personal costs could amount to £175,000. This is just an approximate estimate. See the discussion that follows.

American studies of personal financial costs of Alzheimers

Lifetime care for a 70-year-old American with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis starting at age 70 brings with it a lifetime cost of medical expenses and supervised care of US$700,000 (approximately US$100,00 per annum -the life expectancy is approximately 7 years).(Ref.)

By comparison, a non-dementia sufferer at age 70 may be liable for a lifetime of cost of medical care and expenses 220,000 over a period of 10 years or more (Ref.)

The difference is approximately US$500,000

Not accounted for in the above: the financial and other losses suffered by spouses, family and their employers

·      Family caregivers (and spouses in particular) suffer costs associated with time pressure, loss of ability to earn wages, general stress and increased ill health. 

·      Employers suffer costs due to absenteeism, productivity losses, and staff turnover.

·      There are financial costs associated with decision-making and errors due to unpaid bills and financial exploitation.

New Zealand means testing depletes hard-earned savings

If a New Zealander is fortunate enough to have saved and built-up assets, these will be means tested and anything over the personal threshold of NZ$ $273,628 (Ref.) will go toward residential care.  Since a person with Alzheimer's diagnosis may live 2 years in dementia care, this costs about NZ$100,000 per annum.  The loss of personal assets incurred due to Alzheimer's might, therefore, be NZ$200,000 in excess of what a non-Alzheimer’s sufferer might incur  (Ref.). This is in addition to the previous 5 years of being cared for by spouses and family members.  I’d estimate NZ costs would be less than the costs in America, but they still might be in excess of NZ$70,000 per year.  (See above as to where these costs go).

For a New Zealander, loss of independence due to Alzheimer's may cost NZ$500,000.

Useless Alzheimer's meds

No prescription drug intervention has been shown to reduce the care costs for dementia patients.

A 2019 Cochrane review of the most recognised Alzheimers drug (Donepezil- tradename Aricept) had this to say:-

“There is some evidence that use of Donepezil is neither more nor less expensive compared with placebo when assessing total healthcare resource costs”.

In plain language, a patient's total health care cost taking Aricept has not been shown to reduce.

Wikipedia has this to say:

Aricept, among others, is a medication used to treat dementia of the Alzheimer's type. It appears to result in a small benefit in mental function and ability to function. Use, however, has not been shown to change the progression of the disease.

Wikipedia also lists the many side effects and precautions of Aricept. Medicinenet.com describes the side effects in detail.

Promising lifestyle and risk reduction strategies

I include the following hard-to-find articles which provide easy reading and will have you thinking outside the square. Because sometimes the simple things are the most effective things.

Pharmaceutical industry panics; experts admit prescription drugs don’t work for dementia and they probably never will, (but non-pharmacologic approaches may be better)

Researchers Admit That Prescription Drugs Cannot Cure Dementia (so work on risk factors while you can)

Spend money to save money - with modern research-based advice from wellness experts!

Doctors are experts in managing (suppressing) the symptoms of illness, which helps us be comfortable even if we stay sick. That’s useful. But what we really want is access to health-enhancing Alzheimer’s prevention and reversal strategies - and believe me, these do exist!

Alternative health counsellors are highly trained health professionals, often with diploma and degree qualifications equal to or exceeding your GP's. Additionally, they are often trained in and have access to modern high-tech testing (such as but not limited to genome and microbiome tests), that the mainstream medical system doesn’t yet offer. (Some doctors have up-skilled to become integrative medicine practitioners, but many more are needed). The advice and testing offered by these highly trained professionals is not government-subsidised and may, therefore, seem expensive, but it is not expensive when compared to the costs of dementia.

As a side effect, your overall wellness will improve, and you will be there to help and support your family and community right up to an advanced age.

Money on alternative health practitioner services might include:-

• Genome testing, with expert advice

• Gut microbiome testing with expert advice

• Various blood, hair tissue, saliva and urine tests

• Naturopathic tests and counselling

• Homeopathics

• Toxin testing and analysis

• Emotional counselling and wellbeing

• Diet, exercise and nutrition coaches*

You can google for local or nearest large-city alternative health practitioners or visit your local health and wellness shop and ask at the counter for a referral. Then check their qualifications! - You’ll be amazed at how many have tertiary degrees (including master’s degrees) and high-level diplomas that these practitioners have.

Lifestyle and dietary prevention of Alzheimer’s is easy and inexpensive

While expert alternative practitioner advice and supplements are advisable and certainly cheaper than the financial burden of Alzheimer’s, it’s even cheaper to educate yourself on lifestyle and diet that help to prevent and reverse Alzheimer's. 

Example 1: a questionnaire-based study in the BMC competently showed that a “Mediterranean diet could reduce Alzheimer’s risk by (approximately) 23%”.

Example 2: An article at CNN Health states that “people who most closely followed either of the… [Mediterranean or MIND] …diets had… …almost 40% lower odds” of having enough plaques and tangles in brain tissue to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.”. 

Example 3: According to this questionnaire-based study, Regular “Leisure walking” of 20 minutes a day may reduce Dementia risk by 25%

I recommend you start by studying and implementing the Mediterranean and/or MIND diets and making a 20-minute walk a daily not-negotiable item.  These two alone mght reduce your Alzheimer’s risk by 50%! 

Start today with this CNN news introduction to the Mediterranean and MIND diets!

Conclusion

I hope that the threat of a half-million-dollar personal financial loss has its intended effect, and that you will now spend time and money, to save time and money.

Happy Alzheimer’s free retirement!