According to a recent report by the Alzheimer’s Association, the total cost of care for those living with Alzheimer’s disease is projected to increase to more than $1.1 trillion by 2050.
The 2018 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report estimated Medicaid costs for Rhode Islanders living with dementia age 65 and older to be $438 million in 2018. That number is projected to increase by over 26 percent in the next 7 years.
Alzheimer’s not only takes a toll on the individual diagnosed, but it also takes a toll on the caregivers. According to the association, twice as many dementia caregivers indicate substantial emotional, financial, and physical difficulties compared with non-dementia caregivers.
In 2017, 53,000 Rhode Islanders provided an estimated 61 million hours of unpaid care valued at $768 million. The difficulties associated with providing this level of care are estimated to have resulted in $45 million in additional health care costs for Alzheimer’s and other dementia caregivers in 2017.
Rhode Island currently has 23,000 individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is projected to increase by 17.4 percent by 2025.
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, and the fifth-leading cause of death among those age 65 and older, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. In 2015, Alzheimer’s was the cause of death for 453 Rhode Islanders, bringing the mortality rate to 42.9 per 100,000 people. That number is higher than the national average which was 34 deaths per 100,000.