With No Cure For Alzheimer's Or Dementia, What Should Families Do?

14:20

October 19, 2012

Alzheimer's patient Dorothy Eckert and her husband John Eckert hold hands at their home in Norristown, Pa. (AP/Matt Rourke)

The number of people in the world with dementia is expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050, when the cost for treating patients in the U.S. alone could reach $2 trillion. Those are some of the sobering facts in an article in MIT's Technology Review.

Science journalist Steven Hall spoke to several doctors in the field about the latest research and hopes for a cure or at least an effective treatment.

MIT Technology Review: The Dementia Plague
Wall Street Journal: France Seeks New Ways to Manage Alzheimer's Care
Alzheimer's Association: Choosing a Medicare Drug Plan for Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease

Guest:

Steven Hall, teaches science journalism at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, and writes about the intersection of science and society.

This segment aired on October 19, 2012.