For the first time, total payments for caring for individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias exceeded a quarter trillion dollars ($259 billion), according to findings from the 2017 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report. The report was released today by the Alzheimer’s Association.
More than 15 million Americans provide unpaid care, such as physical, emotional and financial support, for the estimated 5.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s dementia. In 2016, Alzheimer’s caregivers provided an estimated 18.2 billion hours of unpaid care, which the report valued at $230.1 billion.
These contributions disproportionately come from women, who make up two-thirds of Alzheimer’s caregivers. New findings highlighted in the report show that of all dementia caregivers who provided care for more than 40 hours a week, 69 percent are women. Of those providing care to someone with dementia for more than 5 years, 63 percent are women and 37 percent are men.
The Facts and Figures report also found that the strain of caregiving produces serious physical and mental health consequences. For instance, more than one out of three (35 percent) caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s or another dementia report that their health has gotten worse due to care responsibilities, compared to one out of five (19 percent) caregivers for older people without dementia. Also, depression and anxiety are more common among dementia caregivers than among people providing care for individuals with certain other conditions.
The negative impact of Alzheimer’s caregiving falls disproportionately on women. “Two-thirds of the 458,000 people in Virginia providing care for someone with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia are women,” said Sue Friedman, president & CEO of the Central and Western Virginia Chapter. “Caregiving responsibilities often persist for many years – even decades and as symptoms worsen and the amount of care needed continues to increase, caregivers report stress, anxiety and even depression at high rates.”
Soaring Cost, Prevalence and Mortality
The Facts and Figures report provides an in-depth look at the latest national statistics and information on Alzheimer’s prevalence, incidence, use and costs of care, caregiving and mortality.
Findings in the report show that, for the first time, total annual payments for health care, long-term care and hospice care for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias have surpassed a quarter of a trillion dollars ($259 billion). Additionally, despite support from Medicare, Medicaid and other sources of financial assistance, individuals with Alzheimer’s or other dementias still incur high out-of-pocket costs. The average per-person out-of-pocket costs for seniors with Alzheimer’s and other dementias are almost five times higher than average per-person payments for seniors without these conditions ($10,315 versus $2,232).
Although deaths from other major causes have decreased, new data from the report shows that deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have increased significantly. Between 2000 and 2014, deaths from heart disease decreased 14 percent, while deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have increased 89 percent.
Alzheimer’s By the Numbers: Additional Findings on Prevalence, Incidence and Mortality
- Of the estimated 5.5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2017, 5.3 million people are age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 are under age 65 (younger-onset Alzheimer’s) including 140,000 in VIRGINIA.
- Barring the development of medical breakthroughs, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia may nearly triple from 5.3 million to 13.8 million by 2050.
- Every 66 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s dementia. By mid-century, someone in the U.S. will develop the disease every 33 seconds.
- Approximately 480,000 people—almost half a million—age 65 or older will develop Alzheimer’s dementia in the U.S. in 2017.
- Two-thirds of Americans over age 65 with Alzheimer’s dementia (3.3 million) are women.
- Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and the fifth-leading cause of death for those ages 65 and older. In VIRGINIA, 1,775 died with Alzheimer’s in 2014, the most recent figure available.
- Alzheimer’s remains the only disease among the top 10 causes of death in America that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.
Cost of Paid and Unpaid Care
- Total national cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias is estimated at $259 billion (excludes unpaid caregiving), of which $175 billion is the cost to Medicare and Medicaid alone.
- Total payments for health care, long-term care and hospice for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias are projected to increase to more than $1.1 trillion in 2050 (in 2017 dollars).
- In VIRGINIA, the report estimated total Medicaid costs for Americans with dementia age 65 and older at $826 million for 2017. In the next eight years, that figure is expected to increase 48.7%.
“The Central and Western Virginia chapter has over 40 support groups for caregivers. We also have early stage social programs such as Memory Cafes which are places for relaxed conversation and interaction for persons who are diagnosed with early stage symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, said Friedman. “Our Arts Fusion programs connect persons with a diagnosis to creative expression opportunities through music and art.”
Full text of the Alzheimer’s Association 2017 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report can be viewed at alz.org. The report will also appear in the April 2017 issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
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