Health expert says Nevada needs Alzheimer’s facilities

RENO -- Health advocates say there are 28,500 Nevadans with Alzheimer's disease, creating a need for licensed facilities that care for them.

Angie Pratt is regional director of the Northern Nevada Alzheimer's Association.

She says Nevada is projected to have the fifth-highest Alzheimer's growth rate in the nation among seniors, which would more than double its current Alzheimer's population between 2000 and 2010.

Pratt says the increase is being spurred by a steady growth in the senior population, and licensed facilities will be needed to handle the influx.

More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, and about 360,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year.