Coping with a loved one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is not an easy task, and the caregivers at Freedom Health Care are sensitive to that hardship. Therefore, organizations like the American Health Assistance Foundation, which are dedicated to educating the public, serve as a great resource to Freedom Home Care’s staff. As everyone is able to learn more about the disease, it becomes easier to understand how to care for those who are affected by it.
According to the AHAF website, the organization “seeks to eradicate age-related degenerative diseases by: advancing research seeking causes, prevention, treatment, and cures; promoting positive behaviors to combat these diseases; and facilitating the public's efforts to assist those who are affected.”
And because education can foster understanding, here are 10 facts and statistics to know about Alzheimer’s:
- Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible degeneration of the brain that causes disruptions in memory, cognition, personality, and other functions.
- Over 5 million (5.4 mi
llion) Americans age 65 and older are thought to have Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, the number of Americans with this disease could increase to over 15 million.
- The national cost of Alzheimer’s disease (in people over 65 years old) was $183 billion in 2011, and by 2050 it will be $1.1 trillion.
- One person in the United States is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease approximately every 69 seconds.
- It is estimated that almost 500,000 new cases of Alzheimer's disease will be diagnosed this year.
- Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.
- By 2048, one in forty-five people may be living with Alzheimer’s disease.
- Alzheimer’s disease usually begins after age 60 and risk increases with age. Younger people in their 30s, 40s and 50s may get Alzheimer’s disease, but it is rare.
- Approximately 5 percent of all cases of Alzheimer’s disease are believed to be familial (hereditary). In familial cases, often called early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, symptoms typically appear within the age range of 30 to 60 years.
- It is estimated that one in eight Americans aged 65 years and older, and more than one in three Americans 85 years and older have Alzheimer's disease.
