Caregivers for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia face special challenges. Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s or dementia often involves a team of people. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 16.1 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. In 2017, these caregivers provided an estimated 18.4 billion hours of care valued at over $232 billion. 5.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 14 million. Every 65 seconds, someone in the United States develops the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States.
Montana State University Extension has teamed up with the Montana Alzheimer’s Workgroup and the Department of Public Health and Human Services to offer a free packet of information with Montana-specific information for caregivers and other concerned about memory loss called “Legal and Financial Steps and Resources for Caregivers and Others Concerned About Memory Loss.”
The packet includes fact sheets about financial powers of attorney, wills, letters of last instruction, Medicaid and long term care costs, Montana Alzheimer’s Association information and Montana Caregiver Act. As mentioned before, the packet is free and available at msuextension.org/alzheimer to download or order. We also have them available at the Chouteau County Extension Office for pick-up or we can mail them out.
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Additional information is available by contacting Janell at the Chouteau County Extension Office at 622-3036, janellb@montana.edu or in the Chouteau County Courthouse at 1308 Franklin St in Fort Benton.
Montana State University, US Department of Agriculture and Montana Counties Cooperating. MSU Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action provider of educational outreach.
