We Must Beat Alzheimer's Before It Beats Us! And Here's How!

Alzheimer's Has Become the Scariest Disease of Later Life It's true. In a new Age Wave/Merrill Lynch study titled Health and Retirement: Planning for the Great Unknown, we surveyed a representative sample of over 3,000 Americans to uncover both their hopes and their concerns about health and healthcare expenses. Overwhelmingly, the study respondents said that the most important ingredient for a happy retirement is health. And while all diseases can disrupt both health and wealth in retirement, people of all ages now say the scariest disabling condition in later life is Alzheimer's disease. In fact, Alzheimer's was cited more often than cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes combined (see Figure 1). We may have reached a critical "tipping point" with regard to the public recognition of just how nasty, pervasive and threatening this disease is... and why we must stop it in its tracks. (If you like, you can download the entire study report here.) Figure 1: Percent who say the scariest disabling condition of later life is... When asked why they are most worried about Alzheimer's, people say they are concerned about the loss of independence, dignity and the potential impact on their families. A diagnosis of Alzheimer's can mean years -- even decades -- of decline and the need for attentive care, often provided by family members that is almost always emotionally and financially draining. If you'd like to get a sense for how rough the ride can be and what we ca...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news