Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Michigan

November is designated as National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. As our population grows older, the number of people in the state of Michigan living with Alzheimer’s climbs higher. So while a person living in the U.S. has a lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s than they would have 30 years ago, the sheer number of older adults in our country is what is driving the increase in the number of people with the disease.

According to the Greater Michigan Chapter of The Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 130,000 people in Michigan live with Alzheimer’s disease.

The Statistics on Alzheimer’s Disease

As one of the leading providers of Alzheimer’s care in Michigan, we thought it was important to share some of the statistics on this growing epidemic.

• Someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer’s every 68 seconds. By 2050, estimates are that number will increase to every 33 seconds.
• More than 5.2 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease. 200,000 of those people are considered to have early onset Alzheimer’s because they are under the age of 65.
• Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.
• One in three older adults in the U.S. dies from Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia.
• This year alone 450,000 people will die from Alzheimer’s disease.
• In this last decade, the number of deaths caused by Alzheimer’s disease has increased by 68%. This is in stark contrast to a decrease in deaths for nearly every other major disease in the U.S.
• 4 million people provide for a family member or a friend with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia.
• Unpaid family caregivers provide 17.5 billion hours of unpaid care each year. If families had to pay for that care, it would total more than $216 billion a year.
• By 2050, the U.S. will spend an estimated $1.2 trillion providing care for Alzheimer’s patients.
• The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that Medicare paid $107 billion for care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and Medicaid paid $35 billion in 2013.
• Almost 15% of caregivers provide care long distance. Their expenses for caregiving are two times higher than those of local caregivers.

We hope you will share this information with leaders in your local Michigan communities who can help in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

Heritage Senior Communities is pleased to announce that our newest community in Holland, Michigan. The Village at Appledorn West offers adults over the age of 55 one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments. The campus will also be expanded to include assisted living in the spring of 2015.

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