$200 Billion Tab for Alzheimer’s Care in US

The Alzheimer’s Association (Illinois, USA) issued its “2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures.”  The Association reveals that 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s Disease, and the disorder affects one in eight older Americans. As the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, the bill for caring for Alzheimer’s patients is staggering. This year, the tab for direct indirect costs of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in the United States will reach an estimated $200 billion. The report warns that in the absence of advances in prevention and treatment, the cost of caring for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias could reach $1.1 trillion (in 2012 dollars) by 2050, a trend driven by an aging population.  Additionally, the Association identified that Alzheimer’s caregivers — mostly family members — provided 17.4 billion hours of unpaid care, assisting in various activities of daily living.  Those responsibilities came with large amounts of emotional stress and depression, as well as sacrifices at work.