Alzheimer’s Disease: A Looming National Crisis

For many older adults and their families, AD stands in the way of the "Golden Years." And the impact of the disease doesn't stop there, for it presents a major problem for our health care system and society as a whole as well:

• AD is the most common cause of dementia among people age 65 and older. Scientists estimate that 4.5 million people in the U.S. currently have the disease, and 13.2 million Americans will have AD by 2050 if current population trends continue and prevention is still not possible (Hebert et al., 2003).
  
  
• A 2005 Census Bureau report on aging in the U.S. notes that the population age 65 and older is expected to double in size to about 72 million within the next 25 years (He et al., 2005). Moreover, the 85 and older age group is now the fastest growing segment of the population. This is important for AD because the prevalence of AD (the number of people with the disease at any one time) doubles for every 5-year age interval beyond age 65. One study shows that nearly half of all people age 85 and older have AD (Evans et al., 1989).
  
  
• The number of AD caregivers—and their needs—can be expected to escalate rapidly as the population ages and as the number of people with AD grows. During their years of AD caregiving, spouses, relatives, and friends experience great emotional, physical, and financial stress. As the disease runs its course and the abilities of people with AD steadily decline, family members face difficult decisions about the longterm care of their loved ones. Frequently, they turn to assisted living facilities, then nursing homes, for care and support.
  
  
• The growing number of people with AD and the costs associated with the disease put a heavy economic burden on society. The national direct and indirect costs of caring for AD patients are estimated to be as much as $100 billion a year (Ernst and Hay, 1994; Ernst et al., 1997; Huang et al., 1988). A study commissioned by the Alzheimer's Association and conducted by the Lewin Group provides a sobering picture of the impact of AD by projecting the future costs to Federal health programs of AD if current trends continue (Lewin Group, 2004). The study estimates that total Medicare spending on treating beneficiaries with AD will increase from $62 billion in 2000 to $189 billion in 2015. By 2050, Medicare will be spending more than $1 trillion on AD-related costs, or 4 out of every 10 dollars spent by the program. State and Federal Medicaid spending also will show large increases. The study estimates that this spending will increase from $19 billion in 2000 to $118 billion in 2050.

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