The Alzheimer’s Association has released its 2022 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, which offers a sobering assessment of Alzheimer’s prevalence, incidence, mortality, costs of care, dementia care workforce and impact on caregivers across the country and in Florida.
One of the biggest takeaways from this year’s report is that the Alzheimer’s burden in this country and in Florida continues to grow.
- More Americans are living with the disease – An estimated 6.5 million Americans aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s dementia in 2021, including 580,000 in Florida.
- Alzheimer’s is a leading cause of death – Deaths due to Alzheimer’s have increased an alarming 145 percent since 2000.
- Many family and friends are serving as Alzheimer’s caregivers – In Florida, more than 800,000 caregivers provided a total of 1.2 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at over $20 billion.
- The costs are unsustainable – In 2022, the total national cost of caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementia is projected to reach $321 billion. Here in Florida, the Medicaid costs of caring for people with Alzheimer’s are estimated at $2.7 billion. By 2025, these costs are projected to increase by 28 percent.
- Significant shortage in dementia care workforce will affect care – For the first time, the report looks at dementia care workforce and meeting the demands of the growing number of people being diagnosed. In Florida, there are 362 geriatricians. By 2050, that number needs to increase by 277 percent to meet the care demands of those age 65 and older. There are 73,000 home health and personal care aides in Florida, but we need to increase that number 28 percent by 2025 to meet projected care demands.
