Dementia Care a Huge Financial Hit for Families. Annual costs may top $320,000, study estimates

[rangerrebew]

Dementia Care a Huge Financial Hit for Families

Annual costs may top $320,000, study estimates

By Alan Mozes
 

TUESDAY, Aug. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Caring for a family member with a neurological disorder such as dementia is vastly more expensive than caring for a senior who is dementia-free, a new study finds.

The average yearly cost of caring for a dementia-free senior is roughly $137,000. But the price tag rises to $321,000 for care of those struggling with dementia.

http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20170822/dementia-care-a-huge-financial-hit-for-families

[dfwgator]

You can see what this is leading to.

[Jazzhead]

There's no easy answer, that's for sure.   Some folks are prescient enough to plan ahead with long term care insurance,  for others a family's legacy of wealth must be consumed before Medicaid will take over such expenses.  Some folks take comfort in the fantasy they will be able to spare the family of burden through suicide, but if the condition is dementia,  that avenue is effectively foreclosed.