Tagged: Alzheimer's

  The Patrick administration in Massachusetts is taking steps to address the growing problem of senior dementia. A new program at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke is helping veterans and their families cope with Alzheimer’s disease.  WAMC”s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.

   Bill McGill of Montgomery said he was stressed out a few years ago, when he realized his father..now 90…had been wondering off and might have Alzheimer’s disease. Having  him live at  the state run Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke has brought peace of mind.

In early March, Alzheimer’s Association released its new facts and figures on the extent of the disease and its toll. They report that, in the United States, an estimated 5.4 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including at least 800,000 who live alone. 

According the report, unless something is done to change the trajectory of the disease, as many as 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s by 2050.