May 29, 2018 – Seeing More Dementia

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Anchor lead: Chances are good you’ll have more exposure to those with dementia, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Even though there may be fewer people being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, because people are generally healthier they are living longer with the disease, and that’s putting a huge burden on all kinds of services. Constantine Lyketsos, an Alzheimer’s disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says the impact, especially for families, is just beginning to be felt.

Lyketsos:  Every person with dementia has one or two caregivers on average through the course of the illness. Oftentimes it starts out with a spouse and then it might become a child because it can be a fairly lengthy illness from start to finish.  It’s therefore going to effect a lot of people. I don’t think it’s really hit our consciousness as to how big a problem it will be. People are terrified it will happen to them, I think that’s hit our conscience, nobody wants to get dementia. But the fact that it’s going to be all around us on a daily basis much more than it is right now hasn’t quite trickled down.  :35

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.