The Long Walk.
Elizabeth Simpson.
- Virginian-Pilot, 2005.
- SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Article 54, Family, 1522-3213; .
Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Originally Published: The Long Walk, May 8, 2005; pp. A1+.
"There are about 4.5 million people in the country who have Alzheimer's disease, or a related dementia, a number that's estimated to increase to 11 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association. While not many statistics are available, studies at Johns Hopkins University and the University of South Florida have found that 15 to 18 percent of people with dementia living in private homes become violent in a year. The number is estimated to be slightly higher for those in assisted living facilities. Sometimes these acts end in newspaper headlines, as with the 86-year-old man with dementia in Eugene, Ore., who shot and killed his wife and another man and then killed himself at an assisted living facility in November 2003. But more often, their acts are invisible to most and result in quiet desperation of the spouses and children who care for them." (VIRGINIAN-PILOT) This article describes one family's experiences with Alzheimer's disease and stresses the urgent need for "more research, education and training in how to care for people with dementia, and more facilities willing to treat the condition."
1522-3213;
Alzheimer's disease Compulsive behavior Congregate housing Dementia Hospital care Medical care--Cost of Nursing homes Psychiatric hospital care