The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

The total treatment costs for American Indian and Alaska Native older adults with dementia are US$2,943 higher than for those without dementia because of higher hospitalization costs, according to our new study published recently in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

This is the first assessment of the treatment costs among American Indian and Alaska Native adults with dementia. Our goal was to provide the Indian Health Service and tribes information to improve their understanding of how health service resources are allocated. Such information can help in decision-making about how to meet the needs of these patients and their families in the future.

We analyzed data for American Indian and Alaska Native adults ages 65 and older who lived in 10 geographic areas throughout the United States. We obtained the data from the Indian Health Service national data warehouse and other sources.

We were surprised to learn that nearly all the cost differences were associated with hospital admissions. That was not the case in a study of health expenses among a large sample of nationally representative older adults with and without dementia.

The high costs of treating American Indian and Alaska Native adults with dementia in the hospital suggest that much could be done to prevent some of those hospitalizations and to improve their quality of life.

Our study also found that American Indian and Alaska Native adults with dementia had higher rates of other chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, chronic kidney disease and stroke than those without dementia. These conditions were associated with higher treatment costs and increased the clinical complexity of treating patients with dementia.

Why it matters

The number of American Indian and Alaska Native adults ages 65 and older is expected to more than double between 2017 and 2060. As these older adults age,

Read full story at The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/much-of-the-cost-of-dementia-care-in-aging-native-american-adults-is-due-to-hospitalization-178307

Image Credits: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/beautiful-navajo-grandmother-in-traditional-royalty-free-image/1069410694?adppopup=true