Taking Heed of Alzheimer’s Disease: Recognizing and Responding to a Coming Crisis

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is a growing crisis. The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease is growing quickly, with the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s expected to more than double by 2050.

Of the approximately 5.8 million people in the United States who have Alzheimer’s disease, two-thirds of them are women, and clear racial and ethnic disparities exist in both prevalence and incidence. Further, women have a 30% higher risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease than men, and women disproportionately serve as Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers, which has implications for their work and home life and mental health.

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, and the National Alliance for Caregiving hosted a national webinar and congressional briefing to discuss Alzheimer’s disease and its disproportionate impact on women, and in particular women of color, as well as its health, social, and economic toll on both patients and caregivers. During this briefing, panelists provided insight into why Alzheimer’s disease must remain at the forefront of federal research efforts, discuss Alzheimer’s disease’s effect on women as both patients and caregivers, and share how policy changes could affect outcomes.

*This event is widely attended and relevant to official duties.