A startling statistic is causing concern for caregivers of the 5 million Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at Johns Hopkins, Duke University and Utah State University compiled data that shows caregivers of someone with dementia are six times more likely to develop the condition themselves.
Lisa McBride watched the effects of Alzheimer's on her mother, Sybil Stokes.
"She sent the IRS about 20 checks when she should not have, and that's when my father got the bank statement and realized that she couldn't remember that she had made a quarterly payment and had paid it again," said McBride.
Sybil was 75 years old then. She was active, well-educated, and intellectual. Lisa's father, Whit, took on the role of caregiver to keep his wife at home.
"My father was adamant about keeping my mother in the home," said McBride. "He was almost 80 and that soon became apparent that that situation was just not working."