The Caring Corner®

The Caring Corner – Alzheimer’s Takes Its Toll on Women, In Many Ways

• Research indicates that women over the age of 60 have a greater likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s Disease than they do breast cancer.
• Women over 60 years of age have a 1-in-6 likelihood of contacting Alzheimer’s, compared with a lower rate of 1-in-11 for men.
• Nationally, Alzheimer’s afflicts over 5 million Americans; about 2/3 are women.
• Women are also affected more as caregivers.  60 percent of those who care for an Alzheimer’s sufferer are women.
• Women caregivers make greater sacrifices in the workplace as well.  Twenty percent of women give up full-time work in order to care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.  Only three percent of men do this.  Women are also more likely to take a leave of absence from their jobs.

Filed in: News