Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, and the most common form of dementia. Some things you should know about Alzheimer's disease:

• There are now more than 5 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer’s.
  
  
• Every 72 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.
  
  
• By 2050, the estimated range of Alzheimer's disease prevalence will be 11.3 million to 16 million Americans, with a middle estimate of 13.2 million unless a cure or prevention is found.
  
  
• In a 1993 national survey, 19 million Americans said they had a family member with Alzheimer's, and 37 million said they knew someone with Alzheimer's.
  
  
• One out of eight people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s and nearly one out of two over age 85 has it. A small percentage of people as young as their 30’s and 40’s get the disease.
  
  
• A person with Alzheimer's disease will live an average of eight years and as many as 20 years or more from the onset of symptoms.
  
  
• The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias amount to more than $148 billion annually. Neither Medicare nor most private health insurance covers the long-term care most patients need.
  
  
• Alzheimer’s disease is costing American business $61 billion a year; $36.5 billion is the cost to business of caregiving (lost productivity from absenteeism of employees who care for family members with Alzheimer's); the rest is the business share of the costs of health and long-term care.
  
  
• More than 7 of 10 people with Alzheimer's disease live at home. Almost 75% of the home care is provided by family and friends. The remainder is "paid" care costing an average of $12,500 per year. Families pay almost all of that out-of-pocket.
  
  
• Half of all nursing home residents suffer from Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder. The average cost for nursing home care is $42,000 per year but can exceed $70,000 per year in some areas of the country.
  
  
• The average lifetime cost per patient is $174,000.
  
  
• The Alzheimer’s Association has awarded more than $150 million dollars in research grants since 1982.
  
  
• The federal government estimates spending approximately $598.9 million for Alzheimer disease research in FY2002.