In 2003, it cost the average person about $60,000 to be in an assisted nursing home in Florida. That is money that is costly and can often also include a loss of quality of life. Yet, one drug has been found to help in delaying the necessity of entering the nursing home by sustaining a longer, better quality of life during Alzheimer’s patient’s lives.
The University of South Florida’s Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute performed a study looking at the Medicaid program’s records. They studied individuals that were over the age of 60 that suffered from dementia. Some where taking the drug already (a drug called ChE-Is) and others were not. It found that those patients that were taking the drug already tended to be older and there were more women then men doing so. After the study was completed, they found that the average patient remained out of nursing homes for about three months longer than those patients that did not take the medication.
It further considers the costs. It seems that the cost of therapy for a patient taking ChE-Is is less than that of placing them in a nursing home and footing that bill. Of course, from a personal standpoint, individuals will want to remain at home as long as possible because of the quality of life benefits they receive.
In either case, the important consideration is that this medication can offer an increased time period of being able to function outside the nursing home and without constant care. Not only is that a more affordable option, but this medication may be a way of delaying the inevitable.
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