ABSTRACT
Given a rapidly aging population accompanied by an increasing prevalence of dementia and a 145% increase in deaths secondary to Alzheimer’s disease, this chapter will review the issues surrounding the care of those suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The demographics portend an enormous public health problem. Some 5.8 million were living with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. in 2019, but this is projected to rise to almost 14 million by 2050. The costs will increase from $290 billion in 2019 to $1.1 trillion by 2050, absent a breakthrough in treating the fundamental pathology. The use of antipsychotics and other agents in the treatment of behavioral problems associated with dementias will be addressed, as will alternatives to pharmacological treatments. While the mortality rate associated with antipsychotics was addressed in the previous chapter, this chapter will expand on that issue, with a greater focus on the elderly.
