Alzheimer's Disease and Aging

Alzheimer's disease and aging is a common topic in research papers for medical health courses. Paper Masters can custom write an Alzheimer's disease and aging research paper that focuses on any aspect of the two or correlates both. Baby boomers are now the aging population and a focus of a large amount of research in academia. Have Paper Masters help you with your research for any medical heath project.

Our Aging Population

It is very difficult for we humans to accept our own mortality. No one wants to think about growing old, getting sick, and dying. Many people spend a lot of money trying to stop the aging process they can see in the mirror each morning. But, despite the struggle against it, and barring untimely death, we all will reach a point where our age becomes the focal point of the status of our health. Medical treatment has improved tremendously in the past century. Along with that treatment, however, comes a heavy price. The human life span has increased, due to various changes in lifestyle, but also in part due to medical advances. The medical technology that is used to increase life at the stage of old-age is expensive. The population of Americans who are over the age of 65 will, without question, continue to grow. Projections show that the number of people over the age of 65 is expected to increase by two and one-half times by the year 2040.

It is uncertain exactly what impact this aging population will have on our current health care system The costs of health care costs are projected to be nearly one-third of the gross domestic product by the year 2030.The impact these costs may have will depend on many factors. First, the paradigm of age in the future is uncertain. If technology enables people to stay healthy as they age, then health care would be less impacted than if people just live longer in an increasing disabled state.Another factor affecting the state of the health care system will be at what age people cease to contribute to the system, and at what age they begin to depend on the system.Both the Social Security system and Medicare have much to gain or lose depending on how the above issues come to pass. These factors, as well as many others that have been discussed by researchers, will be covered in this paper.Prior to a discussion on the possible implications of an aging population on our health care system, however, we must first understand the demographics of the American population. Certainly, as has been true for nearly 50 years, a discussion of American population would not be complete without exploring the dynamics of the overwhelming group of post-war children, known as the baby-boomers.

Alzheimer's and Aging

According to the Alzheimer's Organization, much yet needs to be learned about diagnosing, preventing, and treating the disease. What follows is a concise look into Alzheimer's disease - its history, symptoms and prognosis, treatment options, and most of all - how people cope with the disease.

With Alzheimer's disease, as in many other currently incurable diseases, the media abounds in flash stories of preventions and hopeful cures - some of which sound ludicrous. Until an effective cure or treatment is available, research should continue on how to best assist Alzheimer's sufferers and their families in coping with the disease.

The Financial Cost of Alzheimer's to the Aging Population

Alzheimer's disease, known more formally as Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type, is an unrelenting degenerative disease. In addition to being the leading form of dementia and among patients of advanced age, Alzheimer's disease currently ranks as the fourth most common cause of mortality among all adult populations, being surpassed by only heart diseases, cancer, and stroke. One crippling but relatively rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease exists, with the youngest recorded case involving a patient who first presented with the disorder at age 28 years. However, Alzheimer's is most prevalent among elderly individuals, with an incidence approaching a disturbingly high 10 percent among individuals aged 65 years and approximately doubling for each decade thereafter. Consequently, by age 85 years, almost half of all Americans-a stunning 47.2 percent-are afflicted with this devastating condition.

Alzheimer's is also associated with tremendous social and financial costs.

• The yearly medical and custodial costs resulting from the treatment of Alzheimer's patients in the United States are projected at some $100 billion.
• Each of the approximately 4 million Alzheimer's patients in America require yearly expenditures estimated at approximately $27,000 per annum for medical care and nursing services alone.
• Although most Alzheimer's patients are cared for at home, approximately 50 percent of the nation's nursing home residents have this disease and require annual expenditures of between $42,000 per annum and more than $70,000.