Home / Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures
Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures
The Statistics are Sobering
- There are over 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders
- By 2050, that number is expected to reach 14 million.
- Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States
- 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
- 82% of Primary Care Physicians say they are on the front lines of providing dementia care.
- 50% of Primary Care Physicians believe that the medical profession is not ready for the growing number of people with Alzheimer’s or other dementia.
- Between 2000 and 2018, deaths from heart disease have decreased by 7.8% while deaths from Alzheimer’s have increased 146%
Alzheimer’s Takes a Toll on Caregivers
- Compared with caregivers of people without dementia, twice as many caregivers of those with dementia indicate substantial emotional, financial and physical difficulties.
- Of the total lifetime cost of caring for someone with dementia, 70% is borne by families — either through out-of-pocket health and long-term care expenses or from the value of unpaid care.
Clinicians Can Be Unsure How Best to Support Caregivers
- Fewer than half of dementia caregivers report ever having a clinician ask them what they need to care for their loved one.
- Only a quarter of dementia caregivers report a clinician ever asking them about their own self-care needs.
- More than half of dementia caregivers say they need more help managing their own emotional and physical stress.
Health Care Costs
- People living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias have twice as many hospital stays per year as other older people.
- Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s or other dementias are more likely than those without dementia to have other chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.
All statistics on this page are taken from the following PDF from the Alzheimer’s Association*