Whom Does Alzheimer’s
Disease Affect?
- About 4.5 million Americans and an estimated 290,000 Canadians have Alzheimer's disease.
- By age 85, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease reaches nearly 50%.
- The number of Americans with Alzheimer's is expected to continue to grow. By 2050, the disease could affect from 11.3 to 16 million people.
- The national direct and indirect annual costs of caring for individuals with Alzheimer's disease are at least $100 billion.
- Of that figure, $24.6 billion covers Alzheimer's health care and $36.5 billion covers costs related to caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's, including lost productivity, absenteeism and worker replacement.
- An estimated 24 million people in the world have dementia, a figure that is projected to rise to 81 million by 2040.
- Almost 25% of Canadians have someone with Alzheimer's disease in their family.
Source(s): 1-3. Alzheimer's Association (2006).
1. Canadian statistics: Alzheimer Society of Canada (2006).
4. National Institutes of Health: 2001-2002 Alzheimer's Disease Progress Report (2003).
5. Alzheimer's Association: Alzheimer's Disease: The Costs to U.S. Businesses in 2002 (2002).
6. Alzheimer's Disease International Web Site: www.alz.co.uk/media/dementia.html (2006).
7. Public Opinion Strategies: The Aluminum Association Alzheimer's Disease Survey (1997).
Who Provides Alzheimer's Care?
- A typical Alzheimer's family caregiver is a woman 48 years old, married and employed, with at least some college education and no children in the home.
- Most Alzheimer's caregivers (87%) are helping relatives. The most common caregiving relationship is between a parent and child, with 57% of caregivers helping their mothers.
- More than half of Alzheimer's caregivers (53%) are primary caregivers, with 30% providing all of the unpaid care and 23% providing most of this care.
- Half of Alzheimer's caregivers work full time.
Source(s): Alzheimer's Association and National Alliance for Caregiving: Families Care: Alzheimer's Caregiving in the United States (2004).
Who Needs Help?
- 1 out of 5 Alzheimer's caregivers (20%) is in just fair or poor health, and 18% report that caregiving has made their health worse.
- An estimated 57% of caregivers work full or part time. Two-thirds of working caregivers (66%) have missed work because of caregiving responsibilities.
- Three-quarters (74%) of Alzheimer's caregivers report unmet needs. Specifically they need more time for themselves (36%), help managing stress (34%), and information on managing challenging behaviors (31%).
- On a five-point scale where five is a great deal of emotional stress, 41% of Alzheimer's caregivers rate their stress as a 4 or 5, compared with 31% of all other caregivers.
Source(s): Alzheimer's Association and National Alliance for Caregiving: Families Care: Alzheimer's Caregiving in the United States (2004).
