The Burden of Alzheimer's Disease Agitation: Impact on Patients, Caregivers, and Quality of Life

In 'The Burden of Alzheimer's Disease Agitation: Impact on Patients, Caregivers, and Quality of Life,' the expert neurologists examined the following critical questions:

What is the impact that Alzheimer's disease agitation has on patients, as well as their caregivers, and what is the necessary education?

How can it impact quality of life and impact families?

Alireza Atri described agitation in Alzheimer's disease as a source of profound psychic pain for patients, driving significant reductions in quality of life and triggering a cascade of downstream consequences including increased medication use, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, falls, nursing home placement, and healthcare costs estimated at two to four times higher than in patients without agitation. Anton Porsteinsson reinforced that unmanaged agitation and aggression represent the primary behavioral drivers of transitions to higher levels of care, including assisted living, memory care units, and skilled nursing facilities, directly undermining patients' expressed wishes to age in place at home. Both panelists underscored that the burden of agitation extends well beyond the patient to encompass caregiver burnout, depression, anxiety, social isolation, and lost productivity, with ripple effects felt across employers, insurers, health systems, and society as a whole.

Throughout the conversation, the experts provided a comprehensive reflection on the field and the factors that may shape how clinicians approach care moving forward.

In the next episode, 'Closing the Recognition Gap: Underdiagnosis, Patient Education, and Treatment Goals in Alzheimer's Disease Agitation,' panelists continue their discussion on Alzheimer's disease agitation and highlight whether agitation is currently underdiagnosed, how clinicians can better educate patients and families, and what the overarching treatment goals should be for patients experiencing agitation.