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In this photo taken on April 23, 2012, Elaine Vlieger, 79,
walks near her home near Denver, Colo. Vlieger is making some concessions to her
early stage Alzheimer's, but isn't ready to give up either her home or her
independence. She stays active with yard work and daily walks. (AP Photo/Ed
Andrieski) (Ed Andrieski)
WASHINGTON — Elaine Vlieger is making some concessions to
Alzheimer's.
She's cut back on driving. Frozen dinners now replace
elaborate cooking. A son monitors her finances.
But the Colorado woman
lives alone and isn't ready to give up her house or independence.
Some
800,000 people with Alzheimer's, roughly 1 in 7 Americans with the disease, live
alone in their communities. That's according to new data from the Alzheimer's
Association.
It's a different picture than the one of constant caregiving
these people eventually will need.
Many like Vlieger cope on their own
during dementia's earlier stages with support from family and
friends.
But living alone with a disease that gradually strips people of
the ability to know when they need help brings special safety concerns, and
loved ones agonize over when to intervene.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elaine
Vlieger is making some concessions to Alzheimer's.
She's cut back on
driving. Frozen dinners now replace elaborate cooking. A son monitors her
finances.
But the Colorado woman lives alone and isn't ready to give up
her house or independence.
Some 800,000 people with Alzheimer's, roughly
1 in 7 Americans with the disease, live alone in their communities. That's
according to new data from the Alzheimer's Association.
It's a different
picture than the one of constant caregiving these people eventually will
need.
Many like Vlieger cope on their own during dementia's earlier
stages with support from family and friends.
But living alone with a
disease that gradually strips people of the ability to know when they need help
brings special safety concerns, and loved ones agonize over when to
intervene.
© 2012 The
Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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