About Alzheimer’s Disease
Nearly 7 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia in older adults. Well over half a million Floridians are living with Alzheimer’s disease today, with Florida being home to the 2nd highest number of people of Alzheimer’s disease in the entire country.
As the U.S. population ages, the number of people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease grows. In the absence of preventative treatments, as many as 14 million Americans will face a future of Alzheimer’s disease by the year 2060. The risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias differs across ethnoracial groups, with older Black Americans having about twice the risk as compared to non-Hispanic white Americans. Hispanics/Latino Americans are at about 1.5 times the risk.
Alzheimer’s disease not only impacts the person with the disease, but also their families and communities. The Alzheimer's Association's reports that individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias receive over 18 billion hours of care from over 11 million family members, many of whom must take time away from paid work to provide unpaid care.
Although rewarding in many ways, the caregiving journey can be stressful and demanding, with about one-third of caregivers reporting symptoms of depression. The Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) is dedicated to raising awareness and providing helpful information about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias to our communities. We can help community members with known or suspected memory loss find appropriate resources and provide opportunities for community members to participate in studies making new discoveries to better understand, detect, treat, and some day prevent or cure Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
LEARN MORE
- Alzheimer’s Association annual report of facts and figures about Alzheimer’s disease.
- African Americans Against Alzheimer’s addresses dementia-related health disparities as part of the US Against Alzheimer's national network.