Alzheimer’s takes higher toll
FAIRMONT — With medical advances happening every day, a lot of diseases are on the decline. However, Alzheimer’s is on the rise, affecting an estimated 5.5 million Americans, up from 5.4 million in 2016, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Alzheimer’s remains the only disease among the top 10 causes of death in Americans that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.
While many major causes of death are decreasing, death from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia have increased significantly. For example, from 2000 to 2014, death by heart disease decreased 14 percent while death by Alzheimer’s increased 89 percent.
Cal Diekmann is executive director of Goldfinch Estates in Fairmont. He got involved in caring for elderly people after he saw his own grandfather suffer through dementia.
Diekmann began working part time at Goldfinch 15 years ago and was immediately hooked as he saw how great the need is for committed workers. He worked at Goldfinch for eight years before leaving and working elsewhere for a while but now he’s happy to be back overseeing care.
On March 18, there was a “Meeting of the Minds” dementia conference in St. Paul at the RiverCentre. This is an annual conference put on by the Alzheimer’s Association. It was a full day filled with information and support. There were over 1,000 people in attendance, as it is the most popular conference in the Midwest for caregivers and those affected by the disease.
Conferences and other gatherings for caregivers are extremely important. In 2016, more than 251,000 Minnesotans provided 286 million hours of unpaid care.
Diekmann believes the people who are caring for a loved one with dementia on their own are doing a great job.
“What we usually see is a person who’s been caring for a loved one on their own but after a while, that person just gets burnt out,” he said. “It’s hard juggling a family and career and providing the care that a person with dementia needs.”
While Diekmann was not at the most recent Meeting of the Minds conference, he has been to others like it and recognizes the gatherings as being helpful. He says they are an opportunity to see that there are people all over the country who are affected by Alzheimer’s and similar diseases.
With Alzheimer’s affecting so many people, on would think there would be more of an effort to find a cure.
“There’s a lot of money being raised to find a cure for cancer and to battle heart disease, but you don’t see a lot of money being used to find a cure of Alzheimer’s and that’s sad,” Diekmann said.
Given that Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease, it can be reassuring to know there are many great facilities, such as Goldfinch and others like it, that provide specialized care.
“We strive to make sure our residents lead good quality lives because everyone deserves to live a good life, not just exist,” Diekmann said.
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