Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is Colorado's Morning News. Marty Lens, Gina gandec at Morning
the annual report on the state of Alzheimer's Disease in America,
the twenty twenty five Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures Report,
released just yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Joining us now on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline
to talk more about the report from the Alzheimer's Association's
Rocky Mountain region. It's Jim Hurley Heat Jim, thank you
so much for your time. As always, Well, this is
a very in depth, one hundred and fifty two page
report we're looking at here. When you look at it,
dive a little bit more into it. What are some
of those facts and figures that really stand out to
(00:30):
you when we look at it.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Well, the one that jumps out at me the most
is the fact that Alzheimer's rates are still rising. We're
at seven point two million Americans over the age of
sixty five, plus about another two hundred thousand under the
age of sixty five, what we call younger onset, So
we're approaching seven and a half million people with this
(00:54):
disease that still doesn't have a cure.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Jim, why are the rates rising?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Well, the biggest fact The biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's
is aging, and we know that the baby boomers are
moving past retirement age. We have about eleven two hundred
people every day in the United States who are turning
sixty five, and by many measurements, we're living longer, So
(01:21):
there's more people who are becoming, if you can say, eligible,
entering the risk phase for Alzheimer's disease.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
The Facts and Figures report also shows a number of
other factors that can impact the risk of cognitive decline
and dementia. What are some of those and what are
some ways to also lower the risk.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Well, we know that there's lifestyle factors, certainly a elevated
blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, These are some factors, and frankly,
what we're seeing in the health community is that more
and more young people are developing obesity, they're developing higher
blood pressure, are more and more risk factors for people
(02:02):
as they age to conceivably start developing Alzheimer's at a
younger age. But there are things that we can do,
and we know that roughly forty percent of cases of
Alzheimer's can be affected by our lifestyle, and that means
maybe lowering our blood pressure, eating a healthier diet, exercising, socializing.
(02:24):
There's a study out by a University of Colorado researcher
that talks about the cognitive benefits of working later beyond
retirement age or volunteering, both of which will provide you
with some of that cognitive stimulation that we need to
stay engaged.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Jimmy, Alzheimer's is one of those diseases you mentioned the
environmental factors and factors of just personal health engagement we
talk about. You talk about this all the time about
keeping your mind sharp, but there is a is there
a gene disposition as well, which makes it difficult because
all those factors could factor into why somebody gets or
doesn't get Alzheimer's, and one doesn't necessarily lead to the other.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Right, that's correct. I've talked to researchers who have said
that they themselves have the gene for Alzheimer's, and they
say that that does not guarantee that they will get it.
They also say that if you don't have the gene,
that it doesn't guarantee you won't get it because there
are these other sixty percent of things throlling around us,
(03:24):
whether it's exposure to air pollution when we come into
the fire season, and I know we talked about this
last year. We are in frankly, the entire country is
exposed to fire smoke for good portions of the year,
and those microscopic particles elevate our risk for developing Alzheimer's
(03:44):
because they get into our bloodstream. So there's a lot
of things that we need to control, and unfortunately some
of them like genes, we can't control, aging we can't control,
But there's a lot of other things that we can
do them.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Another part of this report that really stood out to
me was the price tag of Alzheimer's. Can you tell
us a little bit about how much it costs the
nation and how this number is ultimately determined when it
comes to just those taking care of others?
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Well, the cost is astronomical, and you touched on it.
There's really two aspects to it. There's the part that
is they help systems. It's projected that it'll cost three
hundred and eighty four billion dollars this year for caring
for people with Alzheimer's, and a lot of that cost
is borne by family members and friends. We know that
(04:34):
about eighty percent of people with Alzheimer's are cared for
at home, and so there is a burden on the
people who are at home if they Sometimes you're caring
for a parent and you're a working individual, so you
need to take time out from your own work schedule.
If you are a spouse and you're an aging spouse
along with your partner, you will need to bring in
(04:56):
outside resources and those costs are all rising. So yes,
the cost of this is pretty amazing. Right, there's good.
Oh sorry, there is one more thing in the report
I'd like to call out, and that there has been
some controversy over some medications that have been approved by
the FDA to treat Alzheimer's. And in this report, we
(05:20):
surveyed seventeen hundred adults over age of forty five around
the country and what they said was very in a
very strong manner that they want to have access to medications,
even if there is a risk of some side effects,
and so they want to know if they've got Alzheimer's.
They want to be tested, and then if they find
(05:41):
out that they are in line to receive it to
develop Alzheimer's, they want to be able to receive those
medications quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Quick follow up and we'll get out of here on
this any closer to a quere and you mentioned some
of the medications, are they having the desired effects?
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Well, the anecdotal data and these are all fairly new
medications has approved like in the last two years or so,
and acdotally we're hearing from people that they are seeing benefits,
that it is slowing the rate of decline. The bottom
line is that they're not cures, So we don't have
a cure yet, but we're entering a phase where we
have treatments that can slow the progression, give people more
(06:19):
time with their loved ones and you know, and their
families and even potentially be working. So and it's keeping
them from moving from home into you know, highly skilled
nursing facilities that are also much more costly.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Find the complete report at alz dot org. Vice president
of Marketing and Communications for the Alzheimer's Association's Rocky Mountain Region,
it's Jim Hurtley.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
He
Is Colorado's Morning News. Marty Lens, Gina gandec at Morning
the annual report on the state of Alzheimer's Disease in America,
the twenty twenty five Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures Report,
released just yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Joining us now on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline
to talk more about the report from the Alzheimer's Association's
Rocky Mountain region. It's Jim Hurley Heat Jim, thank you
so much for your time. As always, Well, this is
a very in depth, one hundred and fifty two page
report we're looking at here. When you look at it,
dive a little bit more into it. What are some
of those facts and figures that really stand out to
(00:30):
you when we look at it.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Well, the one that jumps out at me the most
is the fact that Alzheimer's rates are still rising. We're
at seven point two million Americans over the age of
sixty five, plus about another two hundred thousand under the
age of sixty five, what we call younger onset, So
we're approaching seven and a half million people with this
(00:54):
disease that still doesn't have a cure.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Jim, why are the rates rising?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Well, the biggest fact The biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's
is aging, and we know that the baby boomers are
moving past retirement age. We have about eleven two hundred
people every day in the United States who are turning
sixty five, and by many measurements, we're living longer, So
(01:21):
there's more people who are becoming, if you can say, eligible,
entering the risk phase for Alzheimer's disease.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
The Facts and Figures report also shows a number of
other factors that can impact the risk of cognitive decline
and dementia. What are some of those and what are
some ways to also lower the risk.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Well, we know that there's lifestyle factors, certainly a elevated
blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, These are some factors, and frankly,
what we're seeing in the health community is that more
and more young people are developing obesity, they're developing higher
blood pressure, are more and more risk factors for people
(02:02):
as they age to conceivably start developing Alzheimer's at a
younger age. But there are things that we can do,
and we know that roughly forty percent of cases of
Alzheimer's can be affected by our lifestyle, and that means
maybe lowering our blood pressure, eating a healthier diet, exercising, socializing.
(02:24):
There's a study out by a University of Colorado researcher
that talks about the cognitive benefits of working later beyond
retirement age or volunteering, both of which will provide you
with some of that cognitive stimulation that we need to
stay engaged.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Jimmy, Alzheimer's is one of those diseases you mentioned the
environmental factors and factors of just personal health engagement we
talk about. You talk about this all the time about
keeping your mind sharp, but there is a is there
a gene disposition as well, which makes it difficult because
all those factors could factor into why somebody gets or
doesn't get Alzheimer's, and one doesn't necessarily lead to the other.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Right, that's correct. I've talked to researchers who have said
that they themselves have the gene for Alzheimer's, and they
say that that does not guarantee that they will get it.
They also say that if you don't have the gene,
that it doesn't guarantee you won't get it because there
are these other sixty percent of things throlling around us,
(03:24):
whether it's exposure to air pollution when we come into
the fire season, and I know we talked about this
last year. We are in frankly, the entire country is
exposed to fire smoke for good portions of the year,
and those microscopic particles elevate our risk for developing Alzheimer's
(03:44):
because they get into our bloodstream. So there's a lot
of things that we need to control, and unfortunately some
of them like genes, we can't control, aging we can't control,
But there's a lot of other things that we can
do them.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Another part of this report that really stood out to
me was the price tag of Alzheimer's. Can you tell
us a little bit about how much it costs the
nation and how this number is ultimately determined when it
comes to just those taking care of others?
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Well, the cost is astronomical, and you touched on it.
There's really two aspects to it. There's the part that
is they help systems. It's projected that it'll cost three
hundred and eighty four billion dollars this year for caring
for people with Alzheimer's, and a lot of that cost
is borne by family members and friends. We know that
(04:34):
about eighty percent of people with Alzheimer's are cared for
at home, and so there is a burden on the
people who are at home if they Sometimes you're caring
for a parent and you're a working individual, so you
need to take time out from your own work schedule.
If you are a spouse and you're an aging spouse
along with your partner, you will need to bring in
(04:56):
outside resources and those costs are all rising. So yes,
the cost of this is pretty amazing. Right, there's good.
Oh sorry, there is one more thing in the report
I'd like to call out, and that there has been
some controversy over some medications that have been approved by
the FDA to treat Alzheimer's. And in this report, we
(05:20):
surveyed seventeen hundred adults over age of forty five around
the country and what they said was very in a
very strong manner that they want to have access to medications,
even if there is a risk of some side effects,
and so they want to know if they've got Alzheimer's.
They want to be tested, and then if they find
(05:41):
out that they are in line to receive it to
develop Alzheimer's, they want to be able to receive those
medications quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Quick follow up and we'll get out of here on
this any closer to a quere and you mentioned some
of the medications, are they having the desired effects?
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Well, the anecdotal data and these are all fairly new
medications has approved like in the last two years or so,
and acdotally we're hearing from people that they are seeing benefits,
that it is slowing the rate of decline. The bottom
line is that they're not cures, So we don't have
a cure yet, but we're entering a phase where we
have treatments that can slow the progression, give people more
(06:19):
time with their loved ones and you know, and their
families and even potentially be working. So and it's keeping
them from moving from home into you know, highly skilled
nursing facilities that are also much more costly.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Find the complete report at alz dot org. Vice president
of Marketing and Communications for the Alzheimer's Association's Rocky Mountain Region,
it's Jim Hurtley.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
He
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