Oct 9 2009
Newsday reports that the high cost of caring for Alzheimer's patients "can easily deplete even the deepest bank account. Because the disease lasts so long - anywhere from two to 20 years, depending on the stage at diagnosis - and because the type of care needed often falls beyond the scope of government health care programs, families find themselves scrambling to find the money needed to maintain care for their loved one."
"Many individuals are unaware that Medicare does not pay for long-term care. The federal program aimed primarily at those over 65 years old, covers mainly hospital and doctor visits as well as limited post-hospitalization care. But it does not cover assistance with the activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and taking the patient to the toilet" (Bonilla, 10/8).
 This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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