The information presented has been derived from the Alzheimer's Association resource library.  The Alzheimer's Association is the only national voluntary health organization dedicated to research for the causes, cures, treatments and prevention of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and to providing education and support services to Alzheimer's victims, their families and caregivers.  Their motto "Someone to Stand by You" exemplifies the purpose of the Alzheimer's Association.

• Approximately four million Americans have Alzheimer's Disease.
• Nineteen million Americans say they have a family member with AD, and thirty-seven million know someone who has AD.
• Fourteen million Americans will have AD by the middle of the next century unless a cure or prevention is found.
• AD is the fourth leading cause of death among adults.
• One in 10 persons over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 have AD, and increasingly it is found in people in their 40's and 50's.
• A person with AD can live from three to twenty years or more from the onset of symptoms.
• AD cost U.S. society approximately $80-$100 billion a year.  Neither Medicare nor private health insurance covers the long term type of care most patients need.
• More than seven of ten people with AD live at home.  Almost 75% of home care is provided by family and friends.  The remainder is "paid" care costing an average of $12,500 per year.  Families pay for almost all of that out of pocket.
• Half of all nursing home patients suffer from AD or a related disorder.  The average cost for a patient's care in a nursing home is $42,00 per year, but can exceed $70,000 per year in some areas of the country.
• The average lifetime cost per patient is $174,000.
• AD is the third most expensive disease in the U.S., after heart disease, and cancer.
• The federal government will spend approximately $311 million for AD research in 1995.  This represents $1 for every $321 the disease now costs society.  The federal investment in heart disease, cancer, and AIDS is four to seven times higher.