Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease and caregivers by the numbers

Criterion staff report

To say that the number of cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the number of their caregivers is on the rise in the United States is a factual but vague statement. To help put that statement in perspective, below are statistics from the “2018 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures” as reported by the Alzheimer’s Association.

Roughly 15.7 million adult family members are caregivers for someone who has Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia.
34 percent of caregivers are above 65 years old.
The average caregiver of a person above the age of 65 with AD or dementia is 63 years old.
On average, unpaid caregivers (family members) spend:
- 13 days each month on tasks such as shopping, food preparation, housekeeping, laundry, transportation, and giving medication.
- Six days per month on feeding, dressing, grooming, walking, bathing, and toilet assistance.
- 13 hours per month researching care services or information on disease, coordinating physician visits or managing financial matters.
In 2017, the projected number of households with AD in Indiana for 2018 was 110,000, with a projected increase of more than 18 percent to 130,000 by 2025.
In Indiana in 2017, there were 338,000 unpaid caregivers of those with AD or dementia, providing:
- 385,000 hours of care,
- valued at $4,857,000,
- while also spending $245 million on higher health care.

The Criterion

November 23, 2018

Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease and caregivers by the numbers

Criterion staff report

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