At Least 4.3M People 55 Or Older Who Have Cognitive Impairment Or Dementia Live Alone In US, Project Estimates
KFF Health News (10/15, Graham) reports the Living Alone With Cognitive Impairment Project at UCSF “estimates that…at least 4.3 million people 55 or older who have cognitive impairment or dementia live alone in the United States.”
Roughly “half have trouble with daily activities such as bathing, eating, cooking, shopping, taking medications, and managing money, according to their research.” However, “only 1 in 3 received help with at least one such activity.” Compared to “other older adults who live by themselves, people living alone with cognitive impairment are older, more likely to be women, and disproportionately Black or Latino, with lower levels of education, wealth, and homeownership.”
Yet just “21% qualify for publicly funded programs such as Medicaid that pay for aides to provide services in the home.”
Related Links:
— “Millions of Aging Americans Are Facing Dementia by Themselves,” Judith Graham, KFF Health News, October 15, 2024