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.
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.
