Generation Alzheimer's - The Defining Disease Of The Baby Boomers.
News Facts
- This year, the first wave of baby boomers are turning 65 – and with increased age comes increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
- Our new report, "Generation Alzheimer's: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers," sheds light on a crisis that is no longer emerging – but here.
- Many baby boomers will spend their retirement years either with Alzheimer's or caring for someone who has it.
- An estimated 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's.
- Starting this year, more than 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65. As these baby boomers age, one of out of eight of them will develop Alzheimer’s – a devastating, costly, heartbreaking disease. Increasingly for these baby boomers, it will no longer be their grandparents and parents who have Alzheimer’s – it will be them.
- "Alzheimer’s is a tragic epidemic that has no survivors. Not a single one," said Harry Johns, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association. "It is as much a thief as a killer. Alzheimer’s will darken the long-awaited retirement years of the one out of eight baby boomers who will develop it. Those who will care for these loved ones will witness, day by day, the progressive and relentless realities of this fatal disease. But we can still change that if we act now."
- According to the new Alzheimer’s Association report, "Generation Alzheimer’s," it is expected that 10 million baby boomers will either die with or from Alzheimer’s, the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression. But, while Alzheimer’s kills, it does so only after taking everything away, slowly stripping an individual’s autonomy and independence. Even beyond the cruel impact Alzheimer’s has on the individuals with the disease, Generation Alzheimer’s also details the negative cascading effects the disease places on millions of caregivers. Caregivers and families go through the agony of losing a loved one twice: first to the ravaging effects of the disease and then, ultimately, to actual death.
- "Most people survive an average of four to six years after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, but many can live as long as 20 years with the disease. As the disease progresses, the person with dementia requires more and more assistance with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, eating and household activities," said Beth Kallmyer, senior director of Constituent Relations for the Alzheimer’s Association. "This long duration often places increasingly intensive care demands on the nearly 15 million family members and friends who provide unpaid care, and it negatively affects their health, employment, income and financial security."
- In addition to the human toll, over the next 40 years Alzheimer’s will cost the nation $20 trillion, enough to pay off the national debt and still send a $20,000 check to every man, woman and child in America. And while every 69 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease today, by 2050 someone will develop the disease every 33 seconds - unless the federal government commits to changing the Alzheimer’s trajectory.
- "Alzheimer’s – with its broad ranging impact on individuals, families, Medicare and Medicaid - has the power to bring the country to its financial knees," said Robert J. Egge, vice president of Public Policy of the Alzheimer’s Association. "But when the federal government has been focused, committed and willing to put the necessary resources to work to confront a disease that poses a real public health threat to the nation – there has been great success. In order to see the day where Alzheimer’s is no longer a death sentence, we need to see that type of commitment with Alzheimer’s." The full text of the Alzheimer’s Association’s "Generation Alzheimer’s" report can be viewed at www.alz.org/boomers.
About The Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research.
Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.
For more information, visit: alz.org.
The History of The Alzheimer’s Association
In 1979, Jerome H. Stone and representatives from several family support groups met with the National Institute on Aging to explore the value of a national, independent, nonprofit organization to complement federal efforts surrounding Alzheimer's disease. That meeting resulted in the April 10, 1980, formation of the Alzheimer's Association with Mr. Stone as founding president.
Today, the Association reaches millions of people affected by Alzheimer’s across the globe through our national office and local chapters across the country. As the largest donor-supported, voluntary health organization for Alzheimer’s, the Association is a catalyst for advancements in Alzheimer's research and care.
The first baby boomers are turning 65 this year. And while Alzheimer's is not normal aging, age is the greatest risk factor for the disease. This free report conveys the growing burden of Alzheimer's and dementia on individuals, families, government and the nation's healthcare system.
Where's the treatment? Where's the cure?
The National Institutes of Health spends over:
- $6 billion a year on cancer research
- $4 billion on heart disease research
- $3 billion on HIV/AIDS research
But it spends only $480 million on Alzheimer's research. While death rates for these diseases decline, Alzheimer's remains the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression.
Alzheimer's research offers real, tangible hope and a focused commitment from our nation's leaders could make the difference in solving the crisis. Please download the “Generation Alzheimer's” report to learn more about what can be done to conquer this devastating disease.
“Too many of America's baby boomers will spend their retirement years either with Alzheimer's or caring for someone who has it.”
Alzheimer's Association National Office 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601
Alzheimer's Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization
Copyright © 2011 Alzheimer's Association®. All rights reserved.
24/7 Helpline: 1.800.272.3900
Last Updated: 1/4/2011
Maria Shriver and the Alzheimer's Association—the leader in Alzheimer care, support and research—released The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Takes on Alzheimer's on Oct. 14 to highlight the epidemic's effect on women as caregivers, advocates and people living with this disease.
The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Takes on Alzheimer's demonstrates that women are at the epicenter of the Alzheimer's epidemic. According to the Alzheimer's Association Women and Alzheimer's Poll unveiled in the report, women are almost two-thirds of all Americans with Alzheimer's and comprise 60 percent of the unpaid caregivers for family members and friends with Alzheimer's. That means there are 10 million women who either have Alzheimer's or are caring for someone with the disease. The toll Alzheimer's has on individuals and caregivers is further compounded by the financial burden felt by families and the U.S. government.
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