Alzheimer's Disease - A Community Conundrum

by Kara Kuntz, MD, Saint Alphonsus Medical Group

Over 6 million Americans are living with dementia. The cost of caring for these individuals is estimated by the Alzheimer’s Association to be 355 billion dollars in 2021. As a local geriatrician, I care for families who experience tremendous frustration over delayed diagnoses, poor efficacy of current drug therapies, lack of insurance coverage for in-home caregiving, and subsequent exhaustion of family members who assume this full-time responsibility with no training or compensation. The emotional and financial cost of this disease demands our attention.