The Alzheimer’s Association’s new report, The Impact of Alzheimer’s Disease on Medicaid Costs: A Growing Burden for States, released today, found that between 2015 and 2025, Medicaid costs for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias will increase in every state in the U.S. and the District of Columbia.
In Oklahoma, Medicaid spending on people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias will increase by more than 40 percent over the next 10 years. This year, spending will total $437 million, increasing to $613 million in 2025.
“With the quickly rising Medicaid costs for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, Oklahoma needs to continue to refine The State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease in Oklahoma, enhance standards of quality care, as well as attack the disease through research,” said Mark Fried, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma Chapter.
Seniors with Alzheimer’s and other dementias rely on Medicaid, which is funded by state and federal governments, at a rate nearly three times greater than other seniors due to the long duration of the disease, the intense personal care needs and the high cost of long-term care services. According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, by the age of 80, 75 percent of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias will be admitted to a nursing home, compared with just four percent of the general population.
Alzheimer’s is a triple threat, with soaring prevalence, lack of treatment and enormous costs that no one can afford, but we are here to help. Beyond funding vital research, the Alzheimer’s Association offers free resources to guide the over 60,000 Oklahomans living with Alzheimer’s and their more than 220,000 unpaid family caregivers, including:
Alzheimer’s Association Helpline (1-800-272-3900): This toll-free 24/7 Helpline is the one of its kind; the Helpline is staffed by masters-level counselors and provides information and guidance in more than 170 languages and dialects.
Support Groups: Connect with others going through the same journey and get support through the different stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Education Programs: Attend caregiver education classes and workshops to learn about connecting with and caring for your loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
To find a local list of education programs and support groups, visit alz.org/CRF
The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

In a world where seniors often decide it’s time to sit back and relax on a bench, 51-year-old Christy Hadley is working on improving how much she can bench.
During the day, Hadley works as an assistant secretary to the principal at Briarwood Elementary in Moore. But at night, a few mornings and nearly every weekend she’s running, lifting and having the time of her life.
“Age does not have to make you feel helpless,” Hadley said. “At 51 I think I feel fierce.”
The fierceness comes from Hadley’s five-year-love affair with Crossfit, a strength and conditioning program used by many police academies, tactical operations teams and even military special operations units.
Her husband, Rodney, doesn’t mind though. He does it right along with her as does son, Cody, and daughter, Cassidy.
Hadley became interested in Crossfit when her husband and son started at Crossfit Exile in Moore.
“The enthusiasm when you get there and the young people rallying around (is amazing),” Christy Hadley said. “I never felt like I was an outsider. I felt like they were pulling for me to reach the goals I set myself.”
Hadley admits it can be intimidating but the beauty of Crossfit training is that it meets each individual athlete where they are and builds from there.
Owner Andrew Nicholas meets with each new athlete and works out a progression plan. For many who walk into the gym it’s been quite some time since they last worked out.
But it’s the camaraderie of going through difficult things with others that hooked Hadley for life.
“It was the atmosphere and the support and cheering and rallying you get behind you,” Hadley said. “It was also coming to the realization that I’m getting ready to be in the prime of my life. This is what God has given me, now it’s up to me to see what I can do. It was pushing myself farther and seeing how much I could change myself.”
Last summer, Hadley let her husband post a picture of her in a bikini on Facebook for the first time. She’s also been known to rock the occasional miniskirt.
“I have more confidence at 51 than I ever had in my 20s or 30s,” Hadley said.
It’s that kind of confidence that Marcie Billen focuses on specifically with seniors at Exile’s sister gym, Norman Strength and Conditioning.
Her Silver Strength program is designed for ages 55 and up to improve energy levels, balance, flexibility, core strength, and quality of life. She has a passion for inspiring others to achieve their goals and extend their active years well into their 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.
Growing up an only child, Billen said she formed a close bond with her grandparents. In college she volunteered at Full Circle Adult Day Care.
She became a personal trainer to focus on seniors.
Her first client was 69.
“In strength training they have more balance and it comes with the fact that lifting weights you have to be able to balance the weight and stand up straight,” Billen said.
And with weight training comes increased bone density, something she’s sure to point out to clients.
The statistics back up the case for weightlifting, particularly in females
Women ages 65–69 who break a hip are five times more likely to die within a year than women of the same age who don’t break a hip, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
This paper breaks down death risk by age group. In addition to the finding for women ages 65–69, it finds that for women ages 70–79, a hip fracture doubles the risk of dying within a year. Most women 80 and older have the same risk of dying within a year whether they fracture their hip or not, but for women 80 and older who are in excellent health, a hip fracture nearly triples the risk of dying within a year.
Billen says clients most often remark about increased energy levels after working out.
“Some of the stuff I heard them say is ‘I can garden for five hours now without getting tired,’ or they’re doing races with their grandchildren,” Billen says. “They’re excited about these every day tasks.
“It’s just exciting for me to see people take back control of their lives when, before, they thought they were on a path to the grave,” she said.