Cincinnati Alzheimer’s Care

The most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, is also a top 10 cause of death each year in the country, and more people are being diagnosed every day. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that as often as every 67 seconds, someone in the United States is affected by the disease. In Ohio, there’s a large network of seniors with Alzheimer’s. In 2015, over 210,000 individuals had been diagnosed, and that number is on the rise, projected to top out at 250,000 in the next decade.

Although those are some harrowing statistics, there is good news. Seniors with Alzheimer’s, their friends, loved ones, and medical care professionals in the community have more access than ever before to resources to help with the management and treatment of the disease.

A great local resource in the Cincinnati area is the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. The local branch of the national non-profit offers a variety of programs and services providing support to people with Alzheimer’s their family and caregivers. The chapter also offers education, special events and advocacy opportunities in the area.

Over three dozen options exist for Alzheimer’s care facilities in the Cincinnati area, and SeniorAdvisor.com has awarded three of them the 2016 Best of Senior Living Award. While there are many excellent choices and well-reviewed properties, Our Family Home at Miami Hills, Alois, and Cottingham Retirement Community top the list as the award recipients.

Alzheimer’s Facts in Cincinnati and in Ohio:

Over 5.3 million seniors in the nation have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This disease impacts senior health in our nation on a grand scale.

The Alzheimer’s Association says in a 2015 report that 12% of seniors in Ohio are living with Alzheimer’s.

Nearly 4,000 people died from the disease in 2012, making it the 6th leading cause of death in Ohio.

Caregivers are also seeing effects of the disease. In 2014, it was reported that over 594,000 people gave care to someone with Alzheimer’s totaling over 676 million hours of unpaid care.

The expense of that unpaid care is thought to be $8.299 billion.

Caregivers can experience negative health impacts as well, and in 2014 that equated to $382 million in higher health care costs for those caregivers.

In 2015, over 5,600 individuals and families impacted by Alzheimer’s participated in one of the Alzheimer’s Association education events.

There are over 500 open studies nationwide for Alzheimer’s research.

Alzheimer’s Care Options

There are a number of different care solutions for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. The three most common are in-home care, adult daycare, and residential care in an assisted living or nursing home setting. When deciding which care choice is best for your family member or loved one, it’s important to understand how each option differs and make the right choice for you.

There is no right or wrong choice, and families should take the time to weigh the different options and benefits of each choice, making sure to find the solution that is most comfortable for everyone involved.

Cincinnati Alzheimer’s Care Cost Projections

Quality Alzheimer’s care can be expensive. It’s the only cause of death on the top 10 list in the nation that can not be prevented, cured or slowed, and the cost to care for seniors with the disease is climbing as more and more people are affected. When determining the cost of an individual, there are a number of factors that can affect those calculations including geographic location, insurance coverage, and more.

To develop a projection of what quality care may cost in Cincinnati, we can use a study done in 2015 by Genworth that estimates the Cost of Care in communities throughout the country. In Cincinnati, we find that for a nursing home facility a semi-private room has a median cost of $6,996 monthly, and a private room comes in at $8,121. These cost projections are right within the national averages of $6,692 for a semi-private and $7,604 for a private residence.

Paying for Alzheimer’s Care in Cincinnati

Once you’ve determined which type of care is best for you or your loved one, the next step is to determine how to pay for their care. In some cases, families find themselves taking on a tremendous financial burden, so be sure to explore all of your options for managing the costs and acquiring additional funding or financial assistance that might be available. Here are a few tips that could help.

Cost Management

Nursing home care is the most expensive type of care, and it is also often times the necessary level of care to ensure your loved one with Alzheimer’s disease is safe and healthy. In Cincinnati, a private room in a nursing home facility costs on average $1,125 more per month than a semi-private room in that same facility. If a semi-private room is an option, this could reduce annual care costs up to $13,500 per year.

If a better care option for your loved one is in-home care, Adult Day programs are available to assist with caregiver respite. The programs are usually a fraction of the cost of a nursing home but give a friend or family member with Alzheimer’s a safe place to go during the day where they will be supervised and cared for. Visit the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio for resources on Adult Day programs in the area.

Care Funding

When it comes to paying for care, there are a number of ways that may be available to you. One excellent method is utilizing a long-term care insurance policy, as it will generally pay for a portion, if not all of the care needed. If you or your loved one has a policy, contact the insurance carrier or the agent of record to review the benefits of the policy and to understand what is included in the coverage.

War veterans, or their widows, who participated as an active-duty soldier in the military during wartime could be eligible for benefits from the VA Aid & Attendance program. An application is required for the financial assistance, and eligibility requirements can be obtained by contacting the Regional Benefits office in Cleveland.

Assistance through Medicaid is available to seniors who qualify based on several criteria including low-income, limited assets, and the need and inability to pay for long-term care. An application is required, and you can find it as well as more information on eligibility on the Ohio benefits page or you can access the Ohio Department of Medicaid website directly.