Idaho struggles to increase providers for Alzheimer’s patients

The number of caregivers in Idaho for Alzheimer’s patients has reached 73,000, according to a new report, but that's not nearly enough.

It said Idaho needs to increase the number of providers by 31% in order to keep up with the number of patients the state will have in 2032. 

According to the Alzheimer's Impact Movement, Idaho is home to more than 30,000 people living with the disease.

“Every year, the number keeps going up, and it’s getting more and more overwhelming for us to tread water,” said Jordan Hunter of the regional Alzheimer's Association. “The only thing that seems to be going down is our (professional) support in health care.”   

Hunter called the new report on Alzheimer’s “the tip of the iceberg.”  

“It's not going to stop. These numbers just really show how important it is. The time is now, we cannot slow down on this,” Hunter said. 

She said more than 7 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. 

“This influx is the silver tsunami of the aging population and we’re not growing in the support we have for these people,” Hunter said. 

The labor of love for caregiving often goes unnoticed outside families. In Idaho, 116 million unpaid care hours result in $2.3 billion total in unpaid care, according to the 2025 report. 

Hunter said that as loved ones in the workforce take care of these individuals, it becomes a ripple effect.  

They have to take time off or can no longer work full-time and sometimes even lose their jobs. Often, they can’t pay for outside care because it’s so expensive, Hunter said.

There also aren’t enough geriatricians in the state, and people sometimes struggle to even get diagnosed.  

“For some people, it’s a year wait just to get into the doctor to make this diagnosis, and when you have Alzheimer's, a year wait isn’t something you have,” Hunter said. “Time is of the essence.”  

About one in nine people (11%) age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s dementia and 64% of caregivers have chronic health conditions themselves.  

The percentage of caregivers struggling with depression is 29%, which is often exacerbated by the isolating effects of caregiving, the report said.

Locally, there is a memory cafe event held by the Alzheimer’s Association at 10:30-11:30 a.m. on the third Wednesday of every month at Kindred & Co., 851 E. Fourth Ave., Post Falls, for people living with dementia and their caregivers.   

Info: 208-666-2996 

    Alzheimer's Association staff pose for a picture at the North Idaho Caregiver Conference at North Idaho College. From left: Meghan Means, Jordan Hunter, Michelle Larson, Sean Jonz and Alexis Bonoff.
  

    The number of people who are expected to get Alzheimer's is expected to increase from just over 7 million in 2025 to 11 million people by 2040.