Primary Care Physicians Worried About Adequacy of Dementia Care

About half of primary care physicians say the health care system is unable to provide adequate care for many of the country's 5.8 million Alzheimer's patients — even as the number with the disease ramps up, according to a new report detailing the status of Alzheimer's in the United States. In addition, the report sheds new light on the challenges faced by unpaid caregivers, who provide the bulk of help to dementia patients.

In its “2020 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures” report on the state of the disease, the Alzheimer's Association reveals that primary care physicians (PCPs) are worried about both current and future treatment of dementia patients.

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A survey of PCPs found that 82 percent “say they are on the front lines of providing dementia care.” Nearly half (45 percent) believe that the medical profession is “not very prepared” to care for Alzheimer's and other dementia patients, and 5 percent say they are “not at all prepared,” according to the report. Looking at their own regions, 49 percent said there are “not enough specialists” on Alzheimer's to meet patient demand. An additional 6 percent said there are “almost no specialists” available locally.

The report found that while there has been an uptick in the number of geriatricians, “trends in medical training also point to a growing shortage."

"The workforce to care for the older population is currently, and is likely to continue to be, inadequate,” the report asserts.

The report also addressed the issue of unpaid caregiving. More than 16 million family members, friends and other unpaid caregivers provide care, the association says, amounting to 18.6 billion hours in 2019. The association estimates the total value of unpaid caregiving during last year was $244 billion.