Memory Care Leaders See Need To ‘change The Narrative’ As Dementia Cases Rise

According to a recent study, adults 55 or older have a 42% chance of being diagnosed with dementia at any time.

That is more than double the risk reported in past research, and senior living leaders say the industry must continue to evolve memory care to better serve residents and their families given that looming level of demand.

The study, which researchers published in the journal Nature Medicine, projects that dementia cases in the U.S. will double by 2060, with outsized increases in cases for women, Black adults and adults 75 or older. The National Institutes of Health and NYU Langone Health funded the research and authors from other institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, contributed to the research.

“The estimate that dementia cases will rise by a million per year by 2060 is not only alarming, but deeply concerning,” Belmont Village Senior Living Regional Vice President of Memory Care Joyce Mahoney told Memory Care Business. “This projection calls attention to the urgency of preventative measures, early detection, treatments and a [future] cure.”

The report draws its data from an ongoing study that began in 1987 to routinely monitor the vascular health and cognitive ability of approximately 16,000 adults as they age. Between the start of the study and 2020, 3,252 study participants developed dementia.

Researchers say the U.S. needs further action and resources to address racial inequality in health care. The report notes that dementia figures for White older adults will likely double over the next 40 years, but the numbers will triple among Black older adults.

“Our study results forecast a dramatic rise in the burden from dementia in the United States over the coming decades, with one in two Americans expected to experience cognitive difficulties after age 55,” said study senior investigator and epidemiologist Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, who serves as the founding director of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Langone.

Senior living operators must now find ways to innovate their models, leaders told Memory Care Business, as health care services, caregivers and families face significant “strain” due to financial and emotional burdens associated with a loved one’s cognitive change over time, Mahoney said.

Brookdale (NYSE: BKD) Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Kim Elliott said the study was “valuable” to help providers better understand the “growing risk” and the significant role that preexisting health conditions and lifestyle choices can have a positive impact on people as they age.

Through its HealthPlus program, which continues its rollout across Brookdale’s communities nationwide, Brookdale coordinates care and creates better health outcomes and lifestyles for older adults living in higher acuity assisted living and memory care. To prepare for greater demand for dementia care services, Elliot said providers must find “strong partnerships” with health providers, hospitals, research entities and families to provide “continuous and relevant” care.

“As advancements continue in the prevention, treatment and potential cure of Alzheimer’s and other related dementias, it is essential to shift the narrative surrounding these diseases,” Elliott said. “This includes combating stigma and encouraging more inclusive discussions about care practices.”

To remain proactive in memory care, Mahoney said the industry must expand operations to accommodate memory care growth, while also bulking up the workforce needed to provide memory care services. That could include increasing capacity of memory care or repurposing old spaces to meet growing high acuity needs.

To level up staffing, Mahoney added that providers must invest in recruitment, training and retention of specialized caregivers in memory care through dementia-specific education and training to maintain quality of care.

“Enhancing care excellence and innovation through personalized care approaches and considering cultural and lifestyle differences will become even more essential,” Mahoney added. “The memory care sector must act sooner than later to prepare for the projected rise in dementia cases to ensure high quality, compassionate and sustainable care practices.”

Researchers involved with the study said the expected increase in dementia cases “partly ties” to decline in brain function starting in middle-age, as 58 million Americans are now over the age of 65, according to the study. The study shows that the lifetime risk of dementia increases over 50% among older adults who reach the age of 75.

Dallas, Texas-based senior living provider The Sage Oak last year launched a personalized memory care program, Curated Care, to better meet the needs of residents by placing them within specific communities based on acuity, programming preferences, care needs and social tendencies.

In reviewing the report’s key findings, Sage Oak CEO Loe Hornbuckle said the research evokes two strong emotions: a sense of sadness and a sense of duty to “continue to innovate” in memory care to meet future demand.

Hornbuckle said the need for developers, banks and investors to “be bold and take risks” on new projects will help propel the memory care sector forward. He also said those stakeholders must craft new public-private partnerships to reduce the cost of nursing school to improve workforce challenges or expand special visa programs to bring foreign-born workers to the U.S. with the skills to work in memory care communities.

“We will need everything and everyone to commit to a complete reconfiguration of society,” Hornbuckle told Memory Care Business. “Baby Boomers have consistently changed every asset class they interfaced with and changed every product they consume. It only stands to reason that healthcare and senior housing will be no different. There isn’t a single correct answer, we will need everyone and everything and if this study is correct, we will need 2x more of it than initially predicted.”

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