“Women make up nearly two-thirds of the more than 5 million Americans2 with Alzheimer’s disease. A woman in her 60s is now about twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as breast cancer during her lifetime. And as described in a Viewpoint article3 published this week in JAMA Neurology, women shoulder the majority of caregiving for those with dementia. In fact, two and a half times2 as many women as men reported living full time with a person with dementia. . . . The link between differences in sex biology and Alzheimer’s is complex, and likely a product of the interplay between the
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“More Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are being discharged from the hospital directly to their homes, instead of to a post-acute care facility, than traditional fee-for-service patients, according to a new analysis from Avalere. The study found 77% of Medicare Advantage patients are sent home directly from the hospital, without home healthcare services or other forms of post-acute care. That’s compared to 63% of traditional Medicare beneficiaries.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): The article speculates MA incentivizes longer, better hospital care to obviate or reduce the need for post-acute care. Medicare Advantage beneficiaries less likely
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“A study of nearly 100,000 people overturns the notion that being thin somehow raises a person’s odds for Alzheimer’s disease.  Instead, the Danish research suggests, people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease can have less appetite and lose weight. So, it’s the illness that may be causing the thinness, not the other way around.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Cause vs. correlation often confuses Alzheimer’s research conclusions. Thin People Not More Prone to Alzheimer’s, Study Finds #goldencareagent #alzheimer’s
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“The responsibility of providing care to the vast number of patients with dementia expected over the next 20 years will disproportionately fall on working women, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.  ‘The best long-term care insurance in our country is a conscientious daughter,’ the authors wrote in a perspective piece to be published May 8 in JAMA Neurology. The article points to a lack of affordable in-home care options in the United States other than unpaid family members, primarily women.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Why do we have
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“Caring for aging parents already costs Canadians $33 billion a year in direct out-of-pocket expenses and time off work, a number that will only grow over time, finds a new report by CIBC Capital Markets. The report, Who Cares: The Economics of Caring For Aging Parents, co-authored by CIBC Deputy Chief Economist Benjamin Tal and Senior Economist Royce Mendes, estimates the direct and indirect costs associated with the elderly to mushroom by more than 20 per cent in real dollars over the next 10 years due solely to changing demographics.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term
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“There’s no doubt that our growing aging population could represent a major market opportunity for financial services. Of all the sources that help fund a longer life, insurance has only a single-digit share. If insurers want to increase their aging business, they will need to find new ways to provide relevant and attractive new paths to financial security for older people, rather than purely fight for market share among traditional competitors. The aging wallet analysis shows the starting point for insurers to win the hearts and minds of older consumers and their families, and become a larger part of the
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