Alzheimer’s is expected to affect upwards of one in eight baby boomers during their lifetime. This startling statistic means that during the next decade the community of baby boomers exhibiting the effects of Alzheimer’s disease will number more than 10 million Americans.

The latest Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures shows that

• As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s.

• 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.

• Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.

• Alzheimer’s is the seventh-leading cause of death.

• The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses amount to more than $148 billion each year.

Alzheimer’s disease is but one form of dementia, which is a clinical syndrome of loss or decline in memory and other cognitive abilities. It is caused by various diseases and conditions that result in damaged brain cells. It is characterized by a difficulty in remembering names and recent events which occur in individuals as an early clinical symptom. Later symptoms include impaired judgment, disorientation, confusion, behavior changes and trouble speaking, swallowing and walking.

A disturbing fact is that the lifetime risk for baby boomers will be greater because deaths from heart disease, cancer and stroke will probably continue to drop, increasing the lifespan during which the boomers could develop Alzheimer’s or other dementias.

Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s. But drug and non-drug treatments may help with both cognitive and behavioral symptoms.

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