Approximately 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, according to a new report released March 18 by the Alzheimer’s Association.
According to 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including people with young-onset Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Experts predict that by 2010, there will be almost a half million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease each year, and by 2050, that figure is expected to increase to a million new cases annually.
The financial burden of the disease on individuals, families, government, business, and the nation’s health and long-term care systems is considerable. In 2007, there were nearly 10 million Americans age 18 and over providing 8.4 billion hours of unpaid care to people with Alzheimer’s disease valued at $89 billion--four times more than what Medicaid pays for nursing home care for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In 2005, Medicare spent $91 billion on beneficiaries with the disease, and is projected to spend $160 billion by 2010 and $189 billion by 2015.
