Rural Iowa Critically Short of Dementia Services

Families of rural Iowans with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia face a crucial lack of mental health services. Advocates are meeting with some rural residents today (Thur) to assess their most important needs.

Iowa has only 26 geriatricians practicing in the state. The Alzheimer’s Association says the state needs at least four times that many to meet the growing demand by 2050 – and 32-percent more direct care workers for dementia patients by 2030. Chapter spokesperson Lauren Livingston says the current provider shortage falls most heavily on rural Iowa, which has been declared a dementia care “desert.”

The Alzheimer’s Association says 11-percent of Iowans age 65 and older are living with the disease. Today’s online forum is designed to hear from affected rural residents about their most pressing concerns.

Livingston says they hope to get good information from rural health care providers, families, and caregivers about the types of support services that are missing in their communities…

Roughly 62-thousand Iowans live with Alzheimer’s disease, and another 100-thousand are unpaid family caregivers. A-A-R-P Iowa is pushing for a measure in the state legislature that would offer them a tax credit to help offset their out of pocket care expenses.

(credit to Iowa News Service)

Share:

Local News