13:20 Alzheimer's Costs U.S. Business $33 Billion a Year, Study Says
Sept. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Alzheimer's disease, a debilitating disorder that often strikes older people, costs U.S. businesses more than $33 billion a year in lost productivity, absenteeism and treatments costs, according to a new study. The study, sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association, found that about $26 billion a year is lost as workers take time off to care for relatives with the disease. The costs include expenses of basic absenteeism, shifting personnel to cover for absent employees and hiring other workers to fill in.
''These numbers are conservative,'' said Edward Truschke, president and chief executive of the Alzheimer's Association. ''This is a wake-up call for all of us.'' Currently, Alzheimer's affects some 4 million Americans. Experts predict, however, that the total number of people with the condition will climb to 14 million as the Baby Boom generation ages. Truschke's group used the study to call for more Congressional spending on Alzheimer's research. It's ''an investment we can't afford to delay another minute,'' Truschke said.
Leading drugmakers including Warner-Lambert Co., Pfizer Inc. and Japan's Eisai Co. sell treatments for the disease, which can cause dementia, memory loss and other symptoms. Still, the treatments can only help improve functioning in some patients. There is no cure. Ross Koppel, a sociologist and researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, led the business costs study, released today at a news conference in Washington.
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