#4
}
facts about:
Alzheimer’s Disease
Today:
:: 4.5 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. :: Approximately 400,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease will be diagnosed this year. :: By 2050, more than 14 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer’s disease. :: Nearly one in five caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients say taking care of their family member or friend has made their health worse.
Investment in research saves lives and money
in a series
“If you think research is expensive, try disease.”
— Mary Lasker 1901–1994
The Cost:
:: The annual cost of Alzheimer’s disease care in the U.S. is more than $100 billion. :: Average Medicare costs for an Alzheimer’s patient are $13,000 a year compared to $4,500 a year for older Americans without the disease. :: Medicare spends $91 billion a year on care for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
:: Only 9,000 physicians are certified to practice geriatrics. To adequately care for the aging population, the U.S needs 20,000 geriatric specialists now and 36,000 specialists by 2030.
SOURCE: ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION {WWW.ALZ.ORG} NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH {WWW.NIH.GOV} AARP {WWW.AARP.ORG} NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR CAREGIVING {WWW.CAREGIVING.ORG} ALLIANCE FOR AGING RESEARCH {WWW.AGINGRESEARCH.ORG}
:: Alzheimer’s disease costs American businesses more than $61 billion annually, including $36.5 billion in lost productivity of employees who are caregivers.
SOURCE: ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION
SAVING LIVES
SAVING MONEY
H OW R E S E A R C H S AV E S L I V E S :
DISEASE: NAME: AGE:
patient& caregiver
NAME: AGE:
WILLENA RICHARDSON, patient 75 38 ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE WANDA RICHARDSON, caregiver
:: Research shows that Alzheimer’s disease attacks brain cells 20 years before symptoms are apparent, indicating the need for prevention and early detection of the disease.
:: Currently, 28 new drugs for Alzheimer’s disease are in development by private industry. Basic research is needed to fuel the creation of new drugs for prevention and treatment. :: Research has shown that the drug memantine can slow the deterioration of Alzheimer’s patients’ ability to perform daily activities and reduce the need for caregiving.*
SOURCE: ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA {WWW.PHRMA.ORG} *NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, 2003, 348: 1333-41.
Willena is 75 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 5 years ago. Her daughter and primary caregiver, Wanda Richardson, believes that her mother went undiagnosed for at least 15 years prior to that time. Willena’s family was told by an emergency room doctor that she had Alzheimer’s disease after she wandered away one morning and turned up at the neighborhood doughnut shop in her night clothes. She had displayed odd behaviors for many years says Wanda, 38, who now provides full-time care for her mother. Willena requires 24-hour supervision. The smallest tasks have become tests of endurance for her. Wanda explains, “She does not respond to me anymore. It takes two hours to even get her ready for the day.” Wanda’s life has changed as dramatically as her mother’s. She only works part-time now and her personal life is on hold. Mostly, she worries about her young son and how he is affected by her severely restricted life. Wanda realizes that her mother will not get better and may live this way for years. “There needs to be more research done. We need a cure. I might be next,” Wanda says.
H OW R E S E A R C H S AV E S M O N E Y :
:: The average cost of caring for an Alzheimer’s patient is $5,000 a month. Treatments that delay the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease by five years could save $50 billion a year in health care costs. :: A one-month delay in admitting Alzheimer’s patients to nursing homes could save $1 billion a year.
SOURCE: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, 2002, 50:1-7. ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION
facts about:
} Alzheimer’s Disease
Americans Believe Commitment to Research Should Be Higher
higher lower about the same don't know
Hope for the Future:
:: A researcher who received an NIH Pioneer Award is developing a new test that will help detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier. Using nanotechnology, this new method is up to one million times more sensitive than current tests. :: The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative is a partnership between the National Institutes of Health, industry and other research institutions that uses imaging and other tests to observe how normal and Alzheimer’s patients’ brains change over time. Researchers hope the results will lead to earlier diagnosis and the development of new treatments.
As we look for ways to manage health care costs in our country, do you think that the national commitment to health-related research should be…
SOURCE: NATIONAL SURVEY, 2005 CHARLTON RESEARCH COMPANY FOR RESEARCH!AMERICA
31%
6%
5%
58%
The Bottom Line:
Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic disease that mostly affects people over 65 who will live from eight to 20 years after diagnosis. As Baby Boomers age, Alzheimer’s disease will reach epidemic proportions. Investments in research are needed today to identify ways to prevent and slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. Research is the only hope for improving the quality of life of millions of older Americans and their caregivers.
Number of Family Caregivers by State
WA 570,620 OR 336,491 NV 193,720 CA 3,184,776 ID 119,625 MT 88,154 WY 47,569 UT 191,090 AZ 488,129 CO 414,417 NM 170,908 ND 62,320 MN 472,445 IA 285,579 MO 544,310 WI 520,561 NH VT 121,467 60,506 ME 128,473
SD 71,725
NE 163,857
KS 256,493
IN OH IL 1,193,025 586,101 1,107,578 TN 560,462 KY 397,485
MI 958,512
OK 332,969
WV 184,891
SOURCE: NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVERS ASSOCIATION, 2003 {WWW.NFCACARES.ORG}
TX 1,929,789
AR 260,432
LA 422,067
MS 268,262
AL 434,289
GA 778,491
SC 391,159
NC 791,741
VA 696,303
PA 1,229,219
NY 1,867,458
RI CT 104,140 NJ 337,446 831,953 DE MD 76,822 517,124 DC 58,656
MA 633,549
AK 56,566
27,242,621
TOTAL FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN THE U.S.
FL 1,623,320
Research!America 1101 King Street, Suite 520 Alexandria, Virginia 22314 703.739.2577 1.800.366.CURE Fax 703.739.2372 www.researchamerica.org info@researchamerica.org
For additional information, contact the Alzheimer’s Association at 800-272-3900; www.alz.org OR The Alliance for Aging Research at 202-293-2856; www.agingresearch.org.
HI 119,576
PR 27,242
Lasker/Funding First is a founding partner in this series of fact sheets. Lasker/Funding First is the medical
and health research policy program of the Mary Woodard Lasker Charitable Trust. www.laskerfoundation.org