Women's Alzheimer's Movement
We are a community of determined people committed to changing the story of Women and Alzheimer’s once and for all. We do this by funding women-based Alzheimer’s research, supporting those impacted by the disease, and educating people about their brain health and Alzheimer’s prevention.
Alzheimer’s is one of the largest social, medical, and economic crises in our nation’s history. No family, government agency or business will be immune from its devastation. We want to wipe it out before it wipes us out. Commit to staying informed about what Alzheimer’s is, what it is not, and what you can do now to keep you brain healthy.
Know the Numbers
- An estimated 5.8 million Americans today live with Alzheimer’s, a disease that robs memories before taking lives.
- Alzheimer’s begins to develop in the brain 20-30 years before diagnosis.
- 2/3 of those diagnosed are women—and no one knows why.
- 2/3 of Alzheimer’s caregivers are also women, many of who will have to take time off or resign from their jobs.
- A woman in her 60s is twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s over the course of her lifetime than breast cancer
- After 60, a woman has a 1 in 5 chance of developing Alzheimer’s.
- By 2050, approximately 14 million brains in the U.S. will be living with Alzheimer’s, and millions more family members and friends will suffer alongside those diagnosed.
Too few people know these facts until Alzheimer’s strikes. The time to know them is now.
Know the Facts
- Alzheimer’s disease is NOT a natural part of aging.
- Alzheimer’s disease is still 100% fatal. There is no treatment or cure. Of the top 10 causes of death in America, it is the only disease without any effective drug or course of action.
- If Alzheimer’s runs in your family that does not necessarily mean you will get it.
- Conversely, if it does not run in your family, you are still at risk.
- Healthy habits can prevent or slow the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. This includes diet, exercise and lifestyle changes. Read more about ways to reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s under “Prevention.”
Know the Economics
- Alzheimer’s is the nation’s most expensive disease.
- The cost of Alzheimer’s and other dementias to the United States’ economy is a staggering $305 billion, in health care, long-term care and hospice.
- Alzheimer’s is currently on track to bankrupt Medicaid.
- And yet, Federal funding for Alzheimer’s research is about $2.8 billion a year, compared to about $6 billon for cancer and $3 billion for HIV/AIDS. We need more funding for research to find treatments and a cure for this disease.
- The expected cost of Alzheimer’s is projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2050.
- Costs for care far exceed other terminal illness such as cancer and heart disease. The average total cost of care for a person with dementia over the last five years of their life is $366,593.