In 2008, it is estimated that there are as many as 5.2 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer's, and that number is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050.

There are approximately 500,000 Americans under age 65 who have Alzheimer's or another dementia, and about 40 percent of them have Alzheimer's disease.

10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's in the United States.

Every 71 seconds an American develops Alzheimer's. By mid-century an American will develop the disease every 33 seconds.

One out of eight people age 65 has Alzheimer's.

One in six women and one in 10 men who reach age 55 can expect to develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime. More women will develop Alzheimer's because they live longer than men, on average.

69 percent of nursing home residents have some degree of cognitive impairment.

46.4 percent of nursing home residents have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’' or another form of dementia in their medical records.

Alzheimer's disease is the seventh-leading cause of death for people in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of death for those over the age of 65.

From 2000 to 2005, deaths attributed to Alzheimer's disease increased by 45 percent. Deaths from heart disease decreased by 8.6 percent; breast cancer deaths decreased by .8 percent; prostate cancer deaths decreased by 4.9 percent; and stroke deaths decreased by 14.4 percent.

People with Alzheimer's in general have decreased survival in the general population. One study noted that people with Alzheimer's survive about half as long as those of similar age who didn’t have Alzheimer's. Survival time was four to six years after diagnosis, but survival time can be as long as 20 years from the detection of the first symptoms.

1.800.272.3900 | www.alz.org © 2008 Alzheimer's Association. All rights reserved. This is an official publication of the Alzheimer's Association but may be distributed by unaffiliated organizations and individuals. Such distribution does not constitute an endorsement of these parties or their activities by the Alzheimer's Association. 1

There are nearly 10 million Americans providing 8.4 billion hours of unpaid care to people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias – valued at $89 billion.

70 percent of people with Alzheimer's live at home, cared for by family and friends.

A quarter-million American children 8 to 18 years old are providing care for a loved one with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia.

There are between 1 and 1.4 million "long-distance caregivers" in the United States. About 1 million of these caregivers live more than two hours away from their loved ones.

The direct costs to Medicare and Medicaid for care of people with Alzheimer's and other dementias and the indirect costs to business for employees who are caring for Alzheimer’' amount to more than $148 billion annually.

Medicare currently spends more than three times as much for people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's and other dementias than for older beneficiaries.

In 2005, Medicare spent $91 billion on beneficiaries with Alzheimer's and other dementias and is projected to spend $189 billion by 2015.

Medicare costs for those with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias who have a coexisting chronic condition are much higher than for those with the chronic condition alone. For example, Medicare costs for those with dementia and diabetes are more than twice that for those with diabetes alone.

View the entire 2008 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report at www.alz.org.

The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research.

Created March 2008

1.800.272.3900 | www.alz.org © 2008 Alzheimer's Association. All rights reserved. This is an official publication of the Alzheimer's Association but may be distributed by unaffiliated organizations and individuals. Such distribution does not constitute an endorsement of these parties or their activities by the Alzheimer's Association. 2