Dementia care costs continue to rise, initiative brings research funding
I n April 2013 the Rand Corporation and the University of Michigan conducted a study on dementia – an ailment that most commonly manifests itself as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s causes the loss of brain function affecting behavior, judgment, language, memory, and thinking. The study estimates that 15% of Americans older than 70 have dementia. Nationally, the cost for caring for dementia patients has reached $109 billion annually. On April 2, 2013, President Obama announced an initiative called BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies), which is intended to spend $100 million to better research the interactions between brain cells and neurological circuits. When he announced the BRAIN Initiative President Obama said: “We have a chance to improve the lives of not just millions, but billions of people on this planet through the research that’s done in this BRAIN Initiative alone. But it’s going to require a serious effort, a sustained effort.