21 Astounding Facts And Figures About Alzheimer’s Disease

By Linda J Bruton

Alzheimer’s disease represents a dismal future for older adults in this country. An Alzheimer’s diagnoses is the most devastating news that one can receive from a Doctor as it relates to personal health or the healthy of a loved ones. There are no drugs on the market that can cure Alzheimer’s. The diagnosis is an agonizing death sentence because death is the final result.

The most frustrating part of the Alzheimer’s crisis is there is no known single cause. There are some specific statistics concerning Alzheimer’s that may help you understand the wide spread devastation of this disease and how it can impact families, communities. and the nation as a whole.

These facts and figures were provided from the database of the Alzheimer’s Association National Office Chicago, IL. and a combination of other white papers, USA government research. grants on Alzheimer’s.

In the vast majority of cases, age is the primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s.

1) The odds of developing Alzheimer’s double every five years over age 65, and by age 85, the odds of developing the disease are 1 in 2.

2) Alzheimer’s comes in third as the most expensive illness for older people. Heart attack and cancer are numbers 1 and 2.

3) The federal government budgeted $645 million for Alzheimer’s research for 2007.

5) The federal government will spend 7 million less in 2007 than the government spent in 2006.

6) In contrast, $2.6 billion was allocated for research into HIV/AIDS, which afflicts only one million Americans.

7) After 100 years there is no cure and no drug that stops the devastation of the brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients.

8) After only 10 years, AIDS went from being a death sentence to being a manageable disease.

9) Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 4.5 million people in the U.S.

10 There are over 12 million people nationwide affected by Alzheimer’s.

11). Current direct and indirect cost of caring for the 4.5 million of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are at least 100 Billion annually.

12) The duration of the disease can last from 3-20 years.

13) $200 million in research grants have been awarded from The Alzheimer’s Association for since 1982

14) By the year 2050, 11.3 million to 16 million Americans are predicted to have Alzheimer’s disease.

15) People with Alzheimer’s disease survive about 1/2 as long as those of similar age that do not Alzheimer’s disease.

16) 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.

17) One half of all nursing home residents have Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder.

18) Nursing home care costs approximately $42,000 per year but can go as high as can $70,000 per year in some areas of the country.

19) The average lifetime cost of care for an individual with Alzheimer’s is $174,000.

20) Medicare costs for beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s are expected to increase 75 percent, from $91 billion in 2005 to $160 billion in 2010.

21) Medicaid expenditures on residential dementia care will increase 14 percent to $24 billion in 2010, according to a report commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Association.

The fact and figures relating to Alzheimer’s are grim and offer little hope. However researchers, scientist are finding clues daily to the cause of this disease. There is a national movement from private and public sources dedicated to defeating this disease.

The human spirit can not be defeated. There is hope. Azheimer’s disease is a disease that will be defeated by the ingenuity and creative endeavors of thousands of brilliant minds whose aim in life is to find the cause and the cure for Alzheimers and other related dementias.

For more information on alzheimers statistics, treatment, caregiving, and support resources, please visit www.alzheimersdiseasetips.com for helpful tips. Be sure to read the article on alzheimers disease early symptom detection.

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