As the US Baby Boomer generation moves into the ranks of the elderly in the next decade or two, the number of Alzheimer cases is expected to increase. Without a current cure, and with effective treatment at least ten years away, there is a pressing need for novel solutions to address the multifaceted issues surrounding this disease. A new book "The Alzheimer's Solution" proposes a new system for treating cognitive disorders.

Just as the hospice movement led to the creation of a new category of services catering to a very specific health care need, authors Kenneth S. Kosik, MD, a neurologist and a leading Alzheimer's researcher, and experienced healthcare journalist Ellen Clegg, propose a similar creation of community centers devoted to Alzheimer's - where patients and their families could access programs of care, treatment, and most importantly, prevention, outside of the traditional medical setting.

Sam Wang, associate professor of neuroscience at Princeton University and author of "Welcome To Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How To Drive", calls their proposal "a fresh look at how dementia is addressed in the United States" that shows how "society's resources might be better used to give more humane and appropriate care."

In tehir book, Kosik and Clegg outline a bold vision of one-stop centers that would provide expertise and reliable information on a range of topics including:

• pharmaceutical developments
• dietary regimens
• physical and cognitive exercise programs that may help to slow the disease process
• palliative measures to reduce suffering

Most importantly, the centers they describe would take a family-oriented, personalised approach to care and prevention, creating an atmosphere conducive to adult learning and facilitating personal growth in areas that patients have enjoyed over a lifetime, including the arts, dance, socializing, and a host of other possibilities.

Kosik and Clegg explain why the current U.S. healthcare system is poorly equipped to deal with Alzheimer patients, why the standard medical model is inappropriate for cognitive disorders, how market economics stymies physician creativity, and how new initiatives that work outside the existing system could go a long way toward providing the help that is lacking today. 

Source:
Jill Maxick
Prometheus Books