Generally when people get married and say “Until death do us part,” they assume that there will be a level of taking care of one another in their older ages. Everyone hopes that life will be made up of more of the “better” rather than the “worse,” but hardships come along, often in the form of illness.
The Alzheimer’s Association reports that there is definitely some caregiving going on among families, and that role is being filled most commonly by men. There was a time when women assumed that they would be the caregivers to their husbands. Women tend to live longer after all. But reports suggest that times and norms are changing, at least in terms of Alzheimer’s disease.
In the U.S. we are an aging population, with the large amount of baby boomers getting older. With aging too often comes ailment, the most tragic of which can be Alzheimer’s. Today, 3.4 senior women alone suffer from the disease. Fewer than 2 million senior men have Alzheimer’s. On an everyday level, the statistics translate into husbands taking care of their wives with dementia.
The Alzheimer’s Association reports that the disease most often strikes those who are 65 and older. Some patients get sick earlier, however, in their 40s or 50s. Early onset Alzheimer’s is on the Social Security Administration’s list of conditions under the Compassionate Allowance Initiative. That basically means that those with the medical condition are eligible for disability benefits but also likely to get the financial support they need in a speedier, simpler fashion.
A SSDI attorney can explain a person’s legal options depending on their medical situation and work history and guide them through the process of trying to achieve a sense of financial stability.
Source: USA Today, “More men take on caregiver role,” Karina Bland, June 23, 2013