Americans spend $40 billion a year caring for stroke survivors, a new study reveals.
And that figure is only set to rise as the elderly population swells.
According to numbers crunched by the University of Michigan, each of America’s 6.5 million stroke survivors need around $11,000 in care and treatment each week.
That accounts for 22.3 hours of help eating, bathing, cooking, cleaning, and having doctors appointments.
It is a dramatic leap in cost compared to previous estimates.
Each of America’s 6.5 million stroke survivors need around $11,000 in care and treatment per week. That accounts for 22.3 hours of help eating, bathing, cleaning and other care
WHAT IS A STROKE?
Strokes are a leading cause of permanent disability in adults.
Signs of a stroke include the face drooping on one side, difficulty communicating with or understanding others, and trouble reading or writing.
Sufferers often experience difficulty moving one or more limbs, numbness, and paralysis in one or more parts of the body – particularly down just one side.
There are two types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic.
An ischemic stroke occurs when there is a blockage in a blood vessel that prevents blood from reaching part of the brain.
A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel bursts, flooding part of the brain with too much blood while depriving other areas of adequate blood supply.
Age, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, family history, and history of a previous stroke or TIA are all risk factors for having a stroke.
Of the roughly three out of four people who survive a stroke, many will have life-long disabilities.
This includes difficulty walking, communicating, eating, and completing everyday tasks or chores.
The study’s authors warn the medical community needs to start implementing more effective programs to keep costs under control.
‘Previous studies underestimated the caregiving resources that are used, and we expect the cost of caregiving will only increase as baby boomers age,’ said first author Lesli Skolarus, a neurologist with the U-M Comprehensive Stroke Center.
Using data from a national survey of Medicare beneficiaries, the team compared 892 elderly self-reported stroke survivors to 892 non-stroke controls.
Their research accounted for demographics and other health conditions, like hypertension, coronary heart disease or dementia.
The findings determined more than half of elderly stroke survivors receive help from a caregiver, requiring 22.3 hours of assistance per week on average.
That’s nearly double what elderly patients who have not had a stroke require, at an average of 11.8 hours of help.
A stroke, also called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or ‘brain attack,’ occurs when there isn’t enough blood supplying the brain.
This starves the brain cells of necessary oxygen and nutrients, without which the brain cells begin to die.
The longer the brain is deprived of blood supply, the more likely the person is to suffer permanent brain damage, long-term disability, or death.
Strokes are a leading cause of permanent disability in adults.
Signs of a stroke include the face drooping on one side, difficulty communicating with or understanding others, and trouble reading or writing.
Sufferers often experience difficulty moving one or more limbs, numbness, and paralysis in one or more parts of the body – particularly down just one side.
There are two types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic.
An ischemic stroke occurs when there is a blockage in a blood vessel that prevents blood from reaching part of the brain.
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A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel bursts, flooding part of the brain with too much blood while depriving other areas of adequate blood supply.
Age, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, family history, and history of a previous stroke or TIA are all risk factors for having a stroke.
Treatment of a stroke occurs in a hospital, where the treatment team will make a diagnosis based upon brain imaging and symptoms.
Medication and supportive care are the most common forms of treatment.
Of the roughly three out of four people who survive a stroke, many will have life-long disabilities.
This includes difficulty walking, communicating, eating, and completing everyday tasks or chores.
Rehabilitation teams made up of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language therapists, social workers, and mental health professionals will be involved in helping a person to adapt to life after a stroke.
‘Stroke survivors need a caregiver to spend the equivalent of half of a full-time job each week to help them,’ said senior author James Burke, a neurologist with U-M’s Comprehensive Stroke Center and the Ann Arbor Department of Veterans Affairs.
‘Caregiving is an especially big burden in patients with neurological conditions.’
Dr Skolarus added: ‘We need to plan for other mechanisms to support caregivers and survivors. Hopefully planning now will reduce the future burden.’
The team first presented the research at the International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles.