The Facts about Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Loss
Alzheimer's Disease is the 6th leading cause of death in America. It is a slow, progressive illness that damages nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms gradually get worse over time as more brain cells are destroyed. Though people can have Alzheimer’s in their 40s and 50s, the disease is most prevalent in people over age 65.
Alzheimer's Disease Statistics
The following data highlights the impact of this condition according to the Alzheimer’s Association (2019a):
| Category | Facts and Figures |
|---|---|
| Prevalence | 5.8 Million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 14 Million. |
| Mortality and Morbidity | 145 percent is the increase in deaths from Alzheimer’s between 2000 and 2017. |
| Caregiving | More than 18.5 Billion hours of informal care were provided by Alzheimer’s and other dementia caregivers in 2018. |
| Use and costs of health care | $290 Billion is estimated amount of Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost in health care, long-term care and hospice in 2019. |
| Detection | 16 Percent of seniors receive regular cognitive assessment during routine health check-ups. |
Understanding the Four Types of Memory Loss
Many people worry about becoming forgetful and think forgetfulness is the first sign of Alzheimer's disease. But not all people with memory problems have Alzheimer's. Memory loss has four different types:
1. Normal aging
In normal aging, people’s bodies and brains slow down, though intelligence remains stable. These people are less physically and mentally flexible and take more time to process information. Memory changes occur as well, and it’s common to have greater difficulty remembering names of people, places and other things.
2. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
In MCI, a person has problems with memory or another core brain function. These problems are severe enough to be noticeable to other people and show up on tests of mental function, but not serious enough to interfere significantly with daily life. People with MCI have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the near future, especially when their main symptom involves memory.
3. Dementia
Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a general term that describes a set of symptoms that may be caused by a number of different brain disorders. These symptoms involve mental decline severe enough to disrupt daily life that affect more than one of the following core brain functions:
- Recent memory — the ability to learn and recall recently learned information.
- Language — the ability to write, speak or understand written or spoken words.
- Visual spatial function — the ability to understand and use symbols, maps and the ability to correctly judge where objects are.
- Executive function — the ability to plan, reason, solve problems and focus on a task.
4. Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. It is important to note that not everyone diagnosed with MCI progresses to Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia.
Early Signs vs. Typical Age-Related Changes
It is helpful to distinguish between the early symptoms of Alzheimer's and typical aging:
- Memory loss that disrupts daily life: Forgetting recently learned information is the most common sign. Other signs are: forgetting important dates or events, asking for the same information over and over, and increasingly needing to rely on memory aids. Typical age-related sign: Sometimes forgetting names or appointments but remembering them later.
- Challenges in planning or solving problems: Some people may experience changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. They may have trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills. Typical age-related sign: Making occasional errors when balancing a checkbook.
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks: Find it hard to complete daily tasks at home, at work or at leisure. Sometimes, may have trouble driving to familiar locations.
Additional Resources
To read the full report from The Alzheimer's Association which came out in March 2019 download their pdf at: https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures-2019-r.pdf
Watch this short YouTube video to see How Alzheimers Changes the Brain. The video presented by the National Institute of Aging is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=239&v=0GXv3mHs9AU