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Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain,
and the most common form of dementia. Some things you should know about
Alzheimer's disease:
- There are now more than 5
million people in the United States
living with Alzheimer’s.
- Every 72 seconds, someone
develops Alzheimer’s.
- By 2050, the estimated
range of Alzheimer's disease prevalence will be 11.3 million to 16
million Americans, with a middle estimate of
13.2 million unless a cure or prevention is found.
- In a 1993 national survey,
19 million Americans said they had a family member with Alzheimer's,
and 37 million said they knew someone with Alzheimer's.
- One out of eight people
age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s and nearly one out of two over
age 85 has it. A small percentage of people as young as their
30’s and 40’s get the disease.
- 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.
- The direct and indirect
costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias amount to more than
$148 billion annually. Neither Medicare nor most private health
insurance covers the long-term care most patients need.
- Alzheimer’s disease
is costing American business $61 billion a year; $36.5 billion is the
cost to business of caregiving (lost
productivity from absenteeism of employees who care for family members
with Alzheimer's); the rest is the business share of the costs of
health and long-term care.
- More than 7 of 10 people
with Alzheimer's disease live at home. Almost 75% of the home care is
provided by family and friends. The remainder is "paid" care
costing an average of $12,500 per year. Families pay almost all of
that out-of-pocket.
- Half of all nursing home
residents suffer from 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
per patient is $174,000.
- The Alzheimer’s
Association has awarded more than $150 million dollars in research
grants since 1982.
- The federal
government estimates spending approximately $598.9 million for
Alzheimer disease research in FY2002.
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