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Pennsylvania Heading Into Deep Crisis In Seniors Care, Experts Warn, As Alzheimer’s And Dementia Rates Continue To Rise, State’s Preparedness Plan Continues To falter, Costs Outrageous care puts pressure on state and family budgets.

Spotlight PA and PublicSource watched the remarkably high stakes in Pennsylvania, which is home to one of the oldest populations in the country, and has found a plethora of statistics demonstrating both the urgency of the problem, the freezing pace of the response and the dollar amount behind a “public health crisis with an imminent financial crisis in addition “.

Here are the numbers that stand out:

Deferred action

Seven: The number of years since a state-commissioned plan outlined steps to prepare for and respond to the growing dementia crisis in Pennsylvania.

Eight: The number of action items (out of nine chosen) still unfinished or not yet started.

Outnumbered

1,500: The number of board-certified geriatric psychiatrists nationwide.

6 million: The number of patients with Alzheimer’s disease nationwide.

13 million: The projected number of Alzheimer’s disease patients nationwide by 2050.

Care crisis

320,000: The predicted number of Alzheimer’s cases in Pennsylvania by 2025.

61,760: The number of cases likely to be serious, based on NIH-funded research, and more likely to need full-time dementia-specific services in an elderly care setting.

17 157: The current capacity for full-time dementia-specific services in Pennsylvania-licensed senior care facilities.

Need gaps

21,290: The increase in the number of Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries in Pennsylvania with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia disorder observed between 2015 and 2020.

$ 50: According to the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, which represents for-profit facilities, the amount reimbursed by Medicaid in Pennsylvania – a primary payer for dementia care services in nursing homes – is insufficient per resident per day.

Limited support

4,564: The number of people who received reimbursements from the Pennsylvania Caregiver Support Program in 2020.

500,000: The estimated number of unpaid family caregivers statewide.

Shock sticker

$ 58,692: The average annual cost of memory care for an individual in Pennsylvania.

$ 34,352: Average annual income per person in Pennsylvania, according to the US Census Bureau.

Hidden costs

$ 3.7 billion: The amount spent annually under the Pennsylvania Medicaid program for Alzheimer’s care, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

$ 10 billion: The value of the unpaid care provided by Pennsylvanians each year to a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, which advocates say demonstrates a much greater need for publicly funded services.

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