An Aging Population

The mortality rates of the entire population are falling: we're an aging nation, which means we'll be facing some major changes within the upcoming decades. According to "Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease" edited by Vinod Kumar and Carl Eisdorfer, it has been projected that ten million people will have either Alzheimer's disease or a similar dementia by 2040. More explicitly stated, about one in every thirty Americans will have dementia at that point.

So what are the major implications of such drastic numbers?

Not only will our health care system absorb a shock, but caregivers will also experience tremors. Family members, who provide a majority of the care for individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease, confront a great change in lifestyle upon the diagnosis of a loved one. As family roles, decision-making processes, and relationships alter, they serve as the ultimate foundation, fighting the grief of the disease. How they manage to cope with the decline of a loved one is another matter.