How The Alzheimer's Association Increases Access To Mental Health Services

 — National surveys reveal need to increase awareness of balmy cognitive impairment and benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of cognitive decline —

— Report offers latest Alzheimer's prevalence, mortality, caregiving, workforce and costs data —

CHICAGO, March 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alzheimer's Clan 2022 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report unearthed new insights related to challenges both doctors and the American public face in understanding and diagnosing mild cognitive damage (MCI), which is characterized past subtle changes in memory and thinking. It is estimated ten% to fifteen% of individuals with MCI keep to develop dementia each year. And as the size of the U.S. population historic period 65 and older continues to grow (from 58 million in 2021 to 88 million by 2050), so as well volition the number and proportion of Americans with Alzheimer's or other dementias given increased risk of dementia with advancing age.

The annual Facts and Figures report provides an in-depth expect at the latest national and state-by-state statistics on Alzheimer's affliction prevalence, bloodshed, caregiving and costs of care. This twelvemonth'due south report also includes a new section on dementia care workforce. An accompanying special written report, More Than Normal Aging: Agreement Balmy Cognitive Impairment (MCI), for the start time examined both public and chief care physicians' (PCP) agreement of existent-world sensation, diagnosis and treatment of MCI and MCI due to Alzheimer'southward disease in the Usa.

"Mild cognitive impairment is often confused with 'normal aging,' only is not part of the typical aging process," said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., principal science officer, Alzheimer's Association. "Distinguishing betwixt cerebral issues resulting from normal aging, those associated with MCI and those related to MCI due to Alzheimer's disease is disquisitional in helping individuals, their families and physicians prepare for future treatment and care."

It is estimated 12% to 18% of people age lx or older have MCI. While some individuals with MCI revert to normal cognition or remain stable, studies suggest 10% to fifteen% of individuals with MCI get on to develop dementia each year. About 1-third of people with MCI due to Alzheimer's disease develop Alzheimer'due south dementia within five years. Identifying which individuals living with MCI are more than likely to develop dementia is a major goal of current research, potentially enabling earlier disease intervention and treatment.

Lack of awareness merely still business concern
Despite the prevalence among aging Americans, the new report found more than 4 in v Americans (82%) know very little or are non familiar with MCI. When prompted with a description of MCI, more than half (55%) say MCI sounds like "normal aging."

When MCI due to Alzheimer'southward disease is described, almost one-half of respondents (42%) express worry well-nigh developing it in the future. Despite these concerns, a large majority (85%) would want to larn about Alzheimer'due south disease early in its development, either during the MCI phase (54%) or mild dementia stage (31%).

Challenges in dialogue and diagnosis
Additional findings illuminate why individuals exhibiting MCI symptoms are reluctant to talk over them with their doctors, who face persistent challenges in diagnosis of their patients. Among the findings:

• Fewer than half of respondents (twoscore%) said they would see a doctor right away if they experienced MCI symptoms, while the majority (lx%) would look or not see a doctor at all.
• Nearly viii in x respondents (78%) expressed concerns about seeing a doctor for symptoms of MCI, citing reasons such as fright of receiving an incorrect diagnosis (28%); learning they have a serious problem (27%); fear of receiving an unnecessary handling (26%); or assertive symptoms will resolve in time (23%).
• 75% of PCPs say they are on the front lines of providing care for patients with MCI. However, just two-thirds feel comfortable answering patient questions related to MCI (65%) and/or discussing how MCI may exist related to Alzheimer's disease (lx%).
• PCPs are committed to learning more than nearly MCI due to Alzheimer'due south affliction and see articulate benefits of making a specific diagnosis (xc%). Even so, more than than three-quarters of PCPs (77%) report MCI due to Alzheimer's being difficult to diagnose, and half (51%) do not usually experience comfortable diagnosing information technology.

"Agreement and recognizing mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer'due south disease is important because it provides an earlier opportunity to intervene in the Alzheimer's affliction continuum," Carrillo said. "While currently there is no cure for Alzheimer'south disease, intervening before offers an opportunity to ameliorate manage the disease and to potentially deadening progression during a fourth dimension when individuals are functioning independently and maintaining a good quality of life."

Racial and indigenous perspectives
Concerns and confusion around MCI are evident across diverse populations too:

• Awareness and understanding of MCI is low beyond all racial and indigenous groups surveyed: White Americans (xviii%), Asian Americans (xviii%), Native Americans (eighteen%), Black Americans (eighteen%) and Hispanic Americans (17%).
• Hispanic (79%) and Blackness (80%) Americans report wanting to know if they had Alzheimer's disease during an earlier stage (MCI or mild Alzheimer'southward dementia), which is slightly lower when compared to White (88%) and Asian (84%) and Native Americans (84%).
• Asian (54%) and Hispanic (52%) Americans are more likely to worry about developing MCI compared to Native (47%), White (45%) and Black Americans (44%).
• Asian (fifty%), Hispanic (49%) and Blackness (47%) Americans are most probable to worry nearly developing MCI due to Alzheimer'southward affliction, followed by Native (41%) and White Americans (39%).
• Receiving an incorrect diagnosis was the top concern for not seeing a doctor right away for MCI symptoms among Asian (38%), Black (31%) and White Americans (27%). The acme reason cited by Hispanic (27%) and Native Americans (31%) was learning they might have a serious problem.
• Overall, 43% of Americans cited clinical trial participation as a reason for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. However, White Americans (50%) were twice equally probable as Hispanic Americans (25%) to cite clinical trial participation as a reason for early diagnosis, followed past Asian (xl%), Native (35%) and Black Americans (32%).

"Clinical trials are critical to understanding more about current and potential Alzheimer's disease treatments and care," Carrillo said. "As research accelerates, we need to ameliorate address cultural concerns, access issues and other factors to ensure increased participation in clinical trials among all backgrounds, especially among various populations."

Importance of early intervention, physician recommendations
Of survey respondents who wanted to learn nigh Alzheimer's disease during the MCI phase, more than half (70%) noted the need for planning and opportunities for treatment. Early diagnosis gives families time to make legal, financial and care decisions for the future, based on a patient'south concerns and priorities, and is associated with lower overall health care costs. Additionally, the vast bulk of PCPs (86%) said early on intervention could slow progression of cerebral decline.

Yet, merely 1 in 5 PCPs (xx%) report being familiar with clinical trials available to their patients with MCI, and but 1 in four PCPs (23%) say they are familiar with new therapies in the pipeline to accost MCI due to Alzheimer'south disease. When MCI is detected, PCPs most often recommend lifestyle changes (73%).

"There is more work to exist washed when information technology comes to expanding primary intendance physicians' readiness to diagnose cognitive harm, including MCI and MCI due to Alzheimer'southward disease, peculiarly every bit diagnostic advancements are existence made," said Morgan Daven, vice president, wellness systems, Alzheimer's Association. "This includes primary care physicians' awareness of new potential treatments and patient participation in Alzheimer's disease-related clinical trials and research."

Future outlook and opportunities
Despite the devastating toll Alzheimer's illness continues to accept on individuals and families beyond the land, both patients and PCPs express optimism that new treatments to combat Alzheimer's affliction are on the horizon. The surveys plant more than 7 in ten Americans (73%) expect new treatments to delay the progression of Alzheimer'south disease will be available within the adjacent decade. More than half of Americans believe there will be new treatments to stop progression (sixty%) and to preclude (53%) Alzheimer's disease. Amid PCPs, 82% look there will be new treatments to delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease within the next decade. More than one-half of PCPs (54%) anticipate there will exist treatments to cease disease progression and 42% believe there will be treatments to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

The final ii decades have marked an increment in the development of a new class of medicines that target the underlying biology and aim to slow the progression of Alzheimer'southward disease. Equally of Feb 2022, there are 104 disease-modifying treatments being evaluated in clinical trials or at diverse stages of regulatory approval. These potential therapies are aimed at slowing the progression of MCI due to Alzheimer'due south disease and mild Alzheimer's dementia, co-ordinate to the Alzheimer's Association.

Touch on of COVID-19
The report besides examined the devastating bear upon the COVID-19 pandemic has had on people living with Alzheimer's disease. While it is unknown how COVID-19 will influence the number and proportion of people in the U.S. with Alzheimer'southward, COVID-19 has clearly had a dramatic result on mortality from Alzheimer'due south and other dementias. According to the report, at that place were 44,729 more deaths from Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in 2020 compared with averages during the previous v years — a 17% increase.

The study highlights preliminary and anecdotal data indicating the pandemic is also having agin effects on many family caregivers. It notes pandemic-related caregiving challenges, including the shutdown of adult twenty-four hour period care centers and the inability of families to visit or communicate with relatives in long-term care settings, take acquired "emotional distress and other negative outcomes among caregivers."

Boosted information from the report is included beneath and summit statistics on Alzheimer'southward disease prevalence, bloodshed, cost of intendance, caregiving and dementia care workforce is available here. Total text of the 2022 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, including the accompanying special report, More Than Normal Aging: Agreement Balmy Cognitive Impairment tin can be viewed at alz.org/facts. The report will likewise appear in the April 2022 issue of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

About 2022 Alzheimer'south Disease Facts and Figures
The Alzheimer's Clan 2022 Alzheimer 's Disease Facts and Figures written report is a comprehensive compilation of national statistics and information on Alzheimer'due south disease and related dementias. The written report conveys the impact of Alzheimer'due south on individuals, families, authorities and the nation's health intendance system. Since its 2007 inaugural release, the written report has go the preeminent source covering the broad spectrum of Alzheimer'southward bug. The Facts and Figures report is an official publication of the Alzheimer's Association.

About the Surveys
Survey of U.S. Adults
Versta Research conducted a survey of two,434 U.S. adults 18 years of age and older from November 5, 2021 to December v, 2021. Respondents included 662 who were age 60 or older, and i,772 who were age 18 to 59. The survey included a probability sample of ii,099 Americans fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago via the AmeriSpeak^® panel. It was offered online or as a phone survey in English or Spanish. Hispanic (northward=328), Black (n=342) and Asian (northward=318) Americans were oversampled and weighted dorsum to their true population proportions for assay and reporting. The probability sample of all Americans was additionally supplemented with an oversample of Native Americans (northward=335) using not-probability online research methods. The Native American oversample was stratified and weighted by gender, historic period, income and didactics to match U.South. Census Bureau data.

Survey of U.Southward. Principal Care Physicians (PCPs)
Versta Research conducted a survey of 801 master care physicians (Thousand.D. or D.O.) from Nov 1, 2021 to November 22, 2021. Physicians were recruited via WebMD's Medscape physician network, which includes seventy% of all practicing primary intendance physicians in the U.S. Sampling was stratified and weighted past blazon of practice, specialty, years in practice and region using benchmarks from the American Medical Association Masterfile of all practicing physicians in the U.Southward. To be included in the survey, physicians had to have been in practice for at least two years and spend at least 50% of their time in direct patient care, with at to the lowest degree x% of their patients being 60 years of age or older. Physicians included in the survey reported spending an average (mean) of 93% of their time in directly patient care, and 45% of their patients as 60 years of age or older. Years in practice ranged from two years to 54 years, with a hateful of xx years. Primary medical specialties represented were internal medicine (49%), family medicine (48%) and general practitioner (3%).

About the Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer'due south Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization defended to Alzheimer'southward care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the style to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving chance reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia^®. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

SOURCE Alzheimer's Clan

Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-alzheimers-association-report-finds-doctors-and-the-public-face-challenges-in-understanding-and-distinguishing-early-alzheimers-development-from-normal-aging-301502653.html

Posted by: stephenscarn1954.blogspot.com

Share this post