Overview

• Dementia affects one's memory, thinking ability, and behavior which affects both the patients and their carers physically, psychologically, socially, and financially.
• This is a syndrome associated with the deterioration of cognitive functions beyond normal aging.
• Research has shown that there is a connection between a woman's reproductive history and dementia.
• Women with three or more children have a lower risk (12%) of developing dementia when compared to those with only one child.
• There was a 9% increase in those who had experienced miscarriages, and increased by the same value with every miscarriage. Those who had three or more have a 47% increased risk.
• There is a 22% increased risk for women who started their period at 16 years or older in comparison to those who started their period between the ages of 10 and 13. 

The Number of People Affected

• In 2019, the number of Americans living with Dementia were 5.8 million.
• 200,000 of these are under 65 years old.
• Two-thirds, 3.5 million, are women.
• On a global scale, approximately 50 million people have been diagnosed with dementia with the number increasing by 10 million each year.

The Cost of Dementia

• In 2019, the US spent $290 billion caring for Alzheimer's and other dementia.
• This cost is broken down into Medicare ($195 billion), out-of-pocket ($63 billion), and other costs ($32 billion).
•  The 2050 projected total payments in caring for Alzheimer's and other dementia is projected to over $1.1 trillion. 
• In 2019, the lifetime cost of care for patients with dementia versus those without was estimated to be $350,174 and $192,575, respectively.
•  70% of the total cost of caring for a loved one with dementia is borne by family.

• In the US, it is the fifth leading cause of death for patients above 65 and the sixth overall.

• Currently, two-thirds of dementia caregivers are women and a third are daughters.
• The household income of approximately 41% of caregivers is $50,000 or less.
• The US has only 50% of the certified geriatricians necessary to provide care of which only 9% have special expertise.

Summary of our Findings

• The information that has been gathered in this initial research will be populated in the this presentation during the next stage of our research.