Report: Patients With Alzheimer’s, Caregivers Say Illness Leaves Them Feeling Isolated.

Bloomberg News (9/21, Ostrow) reports, “Patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, and their caregivers say the illness leaves them feeling isolated and apart from family, friends and life’s typical connections,” according to the World Alzheimer Report 2010 (pdf), released yesterday by Alzheimer’s Disease International, an organization based in London, UK. “About a quarter of people with dementia hide or conceal their diagnosis because of the stigma surrounding the disease and 40 percent say they are excluded from everyday life,” the report found. Currently, approximately “36 million people worldwide are living with dementia and the numbers will more than triple to 115 million by 2050, according to the report.”

Loneliness May Put Seniors At Risk For Health Problems. The Houston Chronicle (9/21, Morgan) reports, “According to the Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 30 percent of senior citizens live alone, the majority being women. Loneliness” may increase the risk for certain health problems in seniors. For some seniors, “Meals on Wheels delivers nutrition and socialization, said Janice Sparks, manager of the Aging and Disability Resource Center in Houston, a branch of the Harris County Area Agency on Aging.” And, “keeping in mind eating is often a social activity, the agency also offers a ‘congregate nutrition program,’ which is a network of congregate and home-delivered meal providers throughout Harris County.”

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— “Alzheimer’s Leaves Patients, Caregivers Feeling Isolated, “Nicole Ostrow, Bloomberg, September 20, 2012.

Posted in In The News.