YOUR AD HERE »

Vail Symposium speaker discusses multidisciplinary approach to dementia, Dec. 1

Dr. Keith Rapp.
Special to the Daily |

If you go …

What: Fears and facts: A multidisciplinary approach to dementia, with Dr. Keith Rapp.

When: Thursday, Dec. 1; 5 p.m. tour of facility (available to first 12 people who register), 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program.

Where: Castle Peak Senior Care Community, 195 Freestone Road, Eagle.

Cost: $25 online general admission, $35 at the door; $10 students, teachers and those 80 and older.

More information: Visit http://www.vailsymposium.org or call 970-476-0954 to register.

Dementia by the numbers

• 44 million: People with Alzheimer’s or related dementia worldwide

• $605 billion: Estimated global economic cost of dementia in 2016

• $154 billion: Amount spent by Medicare and Medicaid for health care, long-term care and hospice for people with dementia in 2015

• 1 in 9: Americans older than 65 with dementia

• 1 in 3: Americans older than 85 with dementia

• 4 to 8: Life expectancy in years after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis

• 2 in 3: People with Alzheimer’s who are women

• 40 percent: Family caregivers who report high emotional stress

• 17.9 billion: Unpaid hours spent caring for people with dementia

• 13.8 million: People 65 and older expected to deal with dementia by 2050

Sources: International statistics sourced from Alzheimer’s Disease International, domestic statistics sourced from 2016 Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures report.

EAGLE — Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Of the 10 leading causes of death, it is the only one that does not yet have an effective treatment option.

“Dementia is, in one part, a marker of aging. It is also a disease. Generally, people are terrified about it,” said Dr. Keith Rapp, a physician with 30 years of experience devoted exclusively to post-acute and long-term care. “Although there isn’t currently a proven cure, there has been a dramatic increase in federal resources dedicated to prevention research and developing better treatments. There are currently 90 drug studies in the pipeline, for instance.”

Rapp will take a multifaceted approach to understanding dementia in a Dec. 1 lecture presented by the Vail Symposium. The program will be held at the newly opened Castle Peak Senior Care Community in Eagle, with a tour of the facility at 5 p.m. for the first 12 people who register. There will be a short reception at 5:30 p.m., and the program will begin at 6 p.m.



“This is a disease that affects a great number of individuals,” Rapp said. “Around a third of us will have some form of dementia at the time we die. It also has a severe personal and economic impact on those helping to provide care.”

Rapp’s talk will focus on a range of matters concerning dementia, including different types, medical therapies, rates of progression and efforts in prevention research and treatment options. He will also share alarming economic statistics and how dementia research fits in with federal objectives.

Support Local Journalism



“You really only need to sit down to a sheet of dementia statistics to realize what an enormous issue this is and will become as our growing population begins to age,” said Kris Sabel, executive director of the Vail Symposium. “Then there is the very personal way it affects individuals and their families. We’re fortunate to have Dr. Rapp address the topic from so many important angles.”


Support Local Journalism