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Alzheimer’s Care Costs Growing

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Caring for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients is emotionally demanding but also is increasingly expensive, according to a Fort Myers News-Press analysis of 10 years of records from state agencies, nursing homes and hospitals.

Among the findings, the News-Press found that: Medicaid spending for Alzheimer's-related care, including nursing home care, is significantly higher in Southwest Florida than the rest of the state; about 2,000 people with Alzheimer’s Disease remain on a state waiting list for caregiver assistance; and charges for Alzheimer’s care in Southwest Florida hospitals has more than doubled in the past decade.

The News-Press also reports that a quarter of the nursing home facilities are rated “below average” or “much below average” for the quality of their care despite the high costs, the average of which being $250 dollars per day for the uninsured.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.