“Alzheimer’s disease care costs Americans roughly $200 billion a year is the leading cause for the most expensive long term care insurance claims,” declares Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  The leading industry expert was sharing planning information with insurance professionals in conjunction with the upcoming Long Term Care Awareness Month.

The life span of people with Alzheimer’s disease depends greatly on the age of the person when Alzheimer’s disease is first diagnosed, Slome noted.   “While the median survival of patients with Alzheimer’s disease could range from between eight-to-nine years for persons diagnosed at age 65 it decreases significantly to approximately 3 years for persons diagnosed at age 90 years,” Slome explained.

Researchers report that the median survival time for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s ranged from 8.3 years for people diagnosed at age 65 to 3.4 years for people diagnosed at age 90.    According to Slome’s analysis of scientific data, individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at age 65 could anticipate a 67 percent reduction in life span compared to those without Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers also reported that the average length of time between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease was 2.8 years. However, they did not find any significant differences between men and women in survival after diagnosis of the disease.

Experts predict that in the next 50 years, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease will quadruple with approximately 1 in 45 Americans living with the disease.   ”It is vital for more Americans between ages 50 and 65 to become aware of the risk and to plan for this risk, including looking into long term care insurance,” Slome concludes.

Established in 1998 as a non-profit trade group, the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance advocates for the importance of planning for long term care and supports insurance and financial professionals who market LTC insurance.  To learn more about long term care insurance costs call the organization’s offices at (818) 597-3227 or visit the Association’s website.

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