Alzheimers

Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging. It is a devastating disorder of the brain's nerve cells that impairs memory, thinking, and behavior and leads, ultimately, to death. The impact of Alzheimer's on individuals, families and our health care system makes the disease one of our nation's greatest medical, social and economic challenges.

• An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. The number of Americans with Alzheimer's has more than doubled since 1980.

• The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease will continue to grow - by 2050 the number of individuals with Alzheimer's could range from 11.3 million to 16 million.

• Finding a treatment that could delay onset by five years could reduce the number of individuals with Alzheimer's disease by nearly 50 percent after 50 years.

• In a Gallup poll commissioned by the Alzheimer's Association,
  1 in 10 Americans said that they had a family member with Alzheimer's and 1 in 3 knew someone with the disease.

• Increasing age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's. One in 10 individuals over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 are affected. Rare, inherited forms of Alzheimer's disease can strike individuals as early as their 30s and 40s.

• A person with Alzheimer's disease will live an average of eight years and as many as 20 years or more from the onset of symptoms as estimated by relatives.  From the time of diagnosis, people with Alzheimer's disease survive about half as long as those of similar age without dementia. Average survival time is affected by age at diagnosis and severity of other medical conditions.

• National direct and indirect annual costs of caring for individuals with Alzheimer's disease are at least $100 billion, according to estimates used by the Alzheimer's Association and the National Institute on Aging.

• Alzheimer's disease costs American business $61 billion a year, according to a report commissioned by the Alzheimer's Association. Of that figure, $24.6 billion covers Alzheimer health care and $36.5 billion covers costs related to caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's, including lost productivity, absenteeism and worker replacement.

• More than 7 out of 10 people with Alzheimer's disease live at home, where almost 75 percent of their care is provided by family and friends.6 The remainder is "paid' care costing an average of $19,000 per year. Families pay almost all of that out of pocket.

• Half of all nursing home residents have Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder.

• The average cost for nursing home care is $42,000 per year but can exceed $70,000 per year in some areas of the country.

• The average lifetime cost of care for an individual with Alzheimer's is $174,000.

• Medicare costs for beneficiaries with Alzheimer's are expected to increase 75 percent, from $91 billion in 2005 to $160 billion in 2010; Medicaid expenditures on residential dementia care will increase 14 percent, from $21 billion in 2005 to $24 billion in 2010, according to a report commissioned by the Alzheimer's Association.

• The Alzheimer's Association has awarded more than $185 million in research grants since 1982, according to our audited annual financial statements.

• The federal government estimates spending approximately $647 million for Alzheimer's disease research in fiscal year 2005.