Alzheimer's Cases Reach 7.4 Million as Experts Push for Midlife Prevention
The Alzheimer's Association released its annual report on April 21 showing 7.4 million Americans age 65 and older are living with the disease, up 200,000 from last year. Nearly 13 million caregivers provided 19 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $450 billion. Experts say midlife is the critical window for lifestyle changes that can reduce dementia risk.
A total of 7.4 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's disease in 2026, according to the Alzheimer's Association's annual facts and figures report released April 21.
That number is up about 200,000 from a year ago. The disease affects about 1 in 9 adults age 65 and older.
Nearly 13 million caregivers, family members, and volunteers provided more than 19 billion hours of unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's. The estimated value of that care is nearly $450 billion.
The number of Americans with Alzheimer's is expected to keep rising as the population ages. The number of Americans age 65 and older is projected to reach 82 million by 2050, up from 65 million in 2026.
"One of the findings we had is midlife is the time to act, not later," said Chris Weber, the Alzheimer's Association's senior director of global scientific initiatives. "That's when a lot of conditions that can potentially affect our brain health start to appear."
A survey of more than 3,800 U.S. adults found that more than 9 in 10 adults age 40 and older consider maintaining brain health as important as physical health. But only about 1 in 10 said they knew a lot about how to do it.
The Lancet Commission identified 14 modifiable risk factors that, if eliminated, could lower dementia risk. These include physical inactivity, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, hearing loss, depression, and air pollution.
A U.S. study of 375,000 people estimated that more than one-third of dementia cases were linked primarily to midlife obesity, physical inactivity, and low educational attainment.
Patty Kelly, whose mother died of Alzheimer's in 2000, joined a lifestyle study at Rush University Medical Center in 2021. She changed her diet, started vigorous walking, and completed brain-training exercises. She chose to continue the study for four additional years after the initial two-year period ended.
"Just knowing I'm doing something for my brain health makes me feel so good," Kelly said.
