NEW YORK, Sep 03 (Reuters Health) -- Caring for the growing number of adults with age-related dementia costs billions in health care dollars. But programs developed by managed care companies could improve dementia care while controlling costs, New Jersey researchers report.
The new study, which appears in the September issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that mean total costs of treating people with dementia was 1.5 times higher than those without dementia, $13,487 versus $9,276, respectively. Almost three-quarters of the added expense was a result of in-patient costs, the study found.
"By organizing care better, managed care plans have an important opportunity to improve care for those with dementia and their families," conclude researchers led by Dr. Elane M. Gutterman of Consumer Health Sciences in Princeton, New Jersey. "Clearly our data indicate that there are very significant clinical and financial incentives for managed care plans to improve the care of members suffering from dementia."
Suggestions for improving such care include encouraging earlier diagnosis of dementia, more appropriate use of medications, better management of co-existing conditions such as heart disease or depression, involving family members in care and offering a greater amount of supportive care services, Gutterman and colleagues suggest.
Dementia is the gradual loss of memory and intellectual function. Intervening earlier may help slow its progress which may result in lower in-hospital costs and an improved quality of life for people with the condition. Up to 5% of all senior citizens have dementia, study authors point out. And, they write, this number increases with age. Up to 45% of people older than age 85 have some type of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.
