Five Million Senior Citizens With Alzheimer’s, 10
Million Baby Boomers to Join Them
New report by Alzheimer’s Association says disease to
hit 1 of 8 boomers
March 18, 2008 – While many of the diseases that
strike senior citizens are declining, the most feared – Alzheimer’s
Disease – is increasing at an accelerating rate, according to the latest
report on the disease released today by the Alzheimer’s Association.
About five million elderly have the disease now, the organization says,
but it projects 10 million Baby Boomers will join these dreaded ranks in
the U.S.
Today, as many as 5.2 million Americans are living
with Alzheimer’s disease, which includes between 200,000-500,000 people
under age 65 with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias,
according to the 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures.
The new report says the disease is poised to strike
one out of eight baby boomers. According to the Alzheimer’s Association,
now is the time to address this looming epidemic that currently has no
effective disease-modifying treatments that halt or delay the
progression of the disease.
Experts predict by 2010, there will be almost a
half million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease each year; and by 2050,
there will be almost a million new cases each year.
The Association’s report details the escalation of
Alzheimer’s disease, which now is the seventh-leading cause of death in
the country and the fifth-leading cause of death for those over age 65.
It also offers numerous statistics that convey the
burden Alzheimer’s imposes on individuals, families, government,
business, and the nation’s health and long-term care systems.
Looking to the Future
The number of Americans surviving into
their 80s and 90s is expected to grow because of advances in
medicine, medical technology and social and environmental
conditions. Since the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer’s
disease and dementia increase with age, the number of people
with these conditions will also grow rapidly.
• In 2000, there were an estimated
411,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease. That number is
expected to increase to 454,000 new cases a year by 2010,
615,000 new cases a year by 2030, and 959,000 new cases a year
by 2050.
• The number of people age 65 and over
with Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to reach 7.7 million in
2030, a greater than 50 percent increase from the 5 million age
65 and over who are currently affected.
• By 2050, the number of individuals age
65 and over with Alzheimer’s could range from 11 million to 16
million unless science finds a way to prevent or effectively
treat the disease. By that date, more than 60 percent of people
with Alzheimer’s disease will be age 85 or older.
For example:
● Every 71 seconds, someone in America develops
Alzheimer’s disease; by mid-century someone will develop Alzheimer’s
every 33 seconds.
● Women are nearly twice as likely as men to
develop Alzheimer’s disease (17 percent vs. 9 percent). One in six women
and one in ten men age 55 and older can expect to develop Alzheimer’s
disease in their remaining lifetime.
● Although it may appear that being female is a
risk factor, more women will develop Alzheimer’s because on average,
women live longer than men, thereby having more time to develop the
disease.
● In 2007, there were nearly 10 million Americans
age 18 and over providing 8.4 billion hours of unpaid care to people
with Alzheimer’s disease valued at $89 billion, four times more than
what Medicaid pays for nursing home care for people with Alzheimer’s
disease and other dementias.
● In addition, a quarter million American
children age 8 to 18 years old are providing care to loved ones with
Alzheimer’s.
● There are 1 to 1.4 million “long-distance
caregivers” in the United States. About 1 million live more than two
hours or more away and another 400,000 live at least an hour away from
their loved ones. Many of these long-distance caregivers also incur
higher caregiving-related expenses compared to other caregivers.
● Seventy percent of people with Alzheimer’s and
other dementias live at home where friends and family take care of them.
“The information in the 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease
Facts and Figures makes it clear the Alzheimer crisis cannot be ignored
– not when 10 million baby boomers are at risk for developing this fatal
disease,” says Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s
Association.
“Unchecked, this disease will impose staggering
consequences on families, the economy and the nation’s health and
long-term care infrastructure.”
According to the latest statistics from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2000-2005 death rates have
declined for most major diseases – heart disease (-8.6 percent), breast
cancer (-.8 percent), prostate cancer (-4.9 percent) and stroke (-14.4
percent), while Alzheimer’s disease deaths continue to trend upward,
increasing 45 percent during that period.
“We have the opportunity to change the trajectory
of this disease now. Today’s scientific landscape is rich with possible
disease-modifying treatments – but the shrinking investment in Alzheimer
research threatens these breakthroughs,” Johns said.
“There is real hope for a better future where
Alzheimer’s is no longer a death sentence but how fast we get there
depends on how much we are willing to invest today,” added Johns.
Medicare currently spends more than three times as
much for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias than for the
average Medicare beneficiary. In 2005, Medicare spent $91 billion on
beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and is
projected to spend $160 billion by 2010 and $189 billion by 2015.
In 2005, state and federal Medicaid spending for
nursing home and home care for people with Alzheimer’s and other
dementias was estimated at $21 billion and is projected to increase to
$24 billion in 2010 and $27 billion in 2015.
Change by State
Alaska and Colorado lead the states in the
percentage increase in AD projected between the years 2000 and 2010.
The new report highlights the impact that
Alzheimer’s has on states with more than 6 in 10 (62%) having double
digit growth in prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease by the end of the
decade. In addition, unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and
other dementias provided care valued at more than $1 billion in each of
31 states, while unpaid caregivers in California, Florida, New York and
Texas provided care valued at more than $4 billion per state.
March 18, 2008 – While many of the diseases that
strike senior citizens are declining, the most feared – Alzheimer’s
Disease – is increasing at an accelerating rate, according to the latest
report on the disease released today by the Alzheimer’s Association.
About five million elderly have the disease now, the organization says,
but it projects 10 million Baby Boomers will join these dreaded ranks in
the U.S.
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