One Missouri couple is on a mission to bring more dementia care to medical deserts. More than 7 million Americans who are 65 or older live with dementia. Another 13 million people provide unpaid care for a loved one or friend with a diagnosis.
Those numbers are expected to climb as the U.S. population ages, and advocates say government support will be critical for early detection and resources for caregivers. Luke Nozicka with the Midwest Newsroom reports. LUKE NOZICKA, BYLINE: Dementia is an umbrella term for a decline in cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life.
Its most common form is Alzheimer's disease. Bobby Marshall embodies the importance of early detection and intervention. When he was diagnosed, doctors said he had just five to eight years to live.
However, he's lived longer. BOBBY MARSHALL: Eleven years in, and I'm doing pretty good. NOZICKA: Bobby and his wife, Sandy, decided to get a baseline cognitive assessment after her father died of Lewy body dementia in 2014.
It's a kind of dementia that became better known after the death of actor and comedian Robin Williams. Both Marshalls previously worked in the medical field and thought they might as well get screened. SARAH MARSHALL: That way, in 10 years, we'll do another test and see where we are.
And for the first time in our married life, I did better on a test than... S MARSHALL: Bobby's very smart. And I passed it, and he didn't.
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