PORTLAND -- A task force endorsed by Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has laid out recommendations for dealing with the approaching wave of Alzheimer's disease cases expected in the state as baby boomers turn 65.
The task force is taking on a $2.2 billion problem. That's the financial toll they say unpaid, unlicensed caregivers -- such as family members -- provide to Alzheimer's disease patients.
The task force estimates the state will have 110,000 Alzheimer's patients by 2025, a 69-percent spike in just over a decade.
In January 2015, Oregonians who can't afford fulltime care for their family members and are unwilling to have them civilly committed will be required to receive training if they are appointed as guardians.
