The growing number of aging Iowans means more are dealing with Alzheimer's disease. Some 64,000 in the state suffer from this disease at a time when Iowa is tightening its Medicaid system, which pays for long-term nursing home care for Alzheimer's patients.
Several times a week, Lou Stepanek drives to the Hiawatha Care Center in Iowa to spend time with someone who hasn't seemed to recognize him for more than a decade: his wife.
IowaWatch is the Iowa news partner for a cross-country tour by HuffPost that will stop in Des Moines, Iowa on Oct. 9, 2017. The goal of HuffPost’s “Listen to America” tour is to engage in conversations with people across the country of all ages and backgrounds.
Dementia is not a disease, but rather a collection of symptoms stemming from brain deterioration that occurs as people age. Alzheimer’s disease and small repetitive strokes known as vascular dementia are the most common illnesses leading to dementia.
