The economic impact of Alzheimer's disease

With the population aging, Alzheimer's disease will impose an increasingly large economic burden on society. Findings in recent cost studies adjusted to 1990 dollars suggest that the annual cost of formal and informal care for each patient with Alzheimer's disease is as high as $47,000. The overall annual cost associated with all types of dementia patients consists of approximately $20 billion for direct costs and $38 billion for informal care. In their current form, public funding programs leave many gaps in coverage of services for Alzheimer's disease patients, as do private insurance policies. Much-needed changes in funding programs, exercise of private sector funding options, improvement in provision of services, and advances in treatment will each affect the future economic impact of Alzheimer's disease.