from about.com, Carrie Hill, http://alzheimers.about.com/od/caregiving/f/economicvalue.htm?nl=1

Question: What is the Economic Value of Caregiving?
Answer: AARP recently released a comprehensive report on the economic value of caregiving. If you are caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease, it's important to know how your informal caregiving affects our currently fragile economy. Consider these facts:

* In 2007, approximately 34 million family members were providing informal caregiving at any given point.
* Approximately 52 million family members provided informal caregiving at some time during 2007.
* The estimated value of unpaid caregiving for 2007 was $375 billion.
* This is an increase over the 2006 estimated value of unpaid caregiving, which was $350 billion.
* $375 billion is comparable to the total sales of Wal-Mart stores in the same year.
* The economic value of unpaid eldercare was more than long-term care Medicaid spending in all states.
* In 36 states, the economic value of caregiving was more than three times as high as long-term Medicaid spending.
* The economic value of unpaid eldercare, including caring for those with Alzheimer's, was more than three times as high as spending on home- and community-based Medicaid services.
* In 19 states, the economic value of caregiving was more than ten times as high as home- and community-based Medicaid spending.
* Unpaid caregiving includes personal care and help with daily tasks as well as assistance with complex medical procedures and administering medications.
* The “typical” caregiver in the United States is a 46-year-old woman working outside the home who provides more than 20 hours a week of eldercare to her mother.
* Those providing eldercare reported spending an average of $5,531 out-of-pocket for caregiving expenses in 2007.
* Long-distance caregivers reported the highest out-of-pocket expenses ($8,728) while those caring for someone nearby reported average out-of-pocket caregiving expenses of $4,570.

The report points out that family caregivers are the “backbone” of the United States’ long-term care system. I couldn’t agree more.

I read this and thought that many of their numbers were low. The numbers may be averages, but if you are in a higher paying area, it is misleading.

briegull, family caregivers are not only the backbone but the heart of the long-term care system. The people at the facility where my husband is often comment on how family involvement with the residents makes a huge difference in the residents. They find it very sad that more family members don't make the effort to visit their loved ones.

I have no idea WHERE they come up with these figures, or how they can possibly know how much we spend on doctors, medication,and outside care for our spouses, PLUS there are probably double our number of ADMITTED Alzheimer's patients that are DENYING that they have Alzheimer's! Either the caregiver, patient, doctor or all three being in denial! Those can't be added to their numbers, even though they would be relevant.

I am continuously getting my eyes opened by the things we learn about this disease, and the intricate disintegration of muscular abilities throughout the body of an Alzheimer's patient and those wires that reconnect occasionally, only to disconnect again a few hours or days later. I am constantly surprised (being an eternal optimist and called Pollyanna and always looking on the bright side - including a glass half full) that SO MANY PEOPLE want to try these tests hoping for a miracle cure!!! The fact that the spouses participate in these tests will help our children and grandchildren and might help find the cause and cure for this insidious disease, but it won't help our spouses. It's too late for them. Nothing can repair all the broken wiring in the brain, and no one can put Humpty Dumpty together again. We just have to make our loved ones as happy and content as we can given the time they have left. And help them to have as meaningful a life and us too - both with and without them during their journey home. Some of us have many years to go through this journey, and others just a couple of years from diagnosis to their final resting place. Sigh.

Back to the money, which is what this discussion is about (sorry about my soapbox!), I have no idea what I have spent so far, what my insurance company has spent so far, and how much I've paid for repairs necessary to fix what he broke while having Alzheimer's. I guess I'm afraid to add it all up!

I don't want to look at the cost of the disease statewide, nationwide or worldwide. I just want a cure found. And soon.