The 2018 budget approved recently by Congress calls for a $414 million increase in funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). If there are no changes before the budget is signed into law, Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the NIH will reach $1.8 billion.
This marks the third consecutive year that Congress has approved an appeal by the Alzheimer’s Association for historic funding increases to enable research to fight these devastating diseases.
That’s the good news. There certainly needs to be significant research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Without a cure, the United States, as well as the rest of the world, is facing a staggering and overwhelming crisis.
Right now, Alzheimer’s and other dementias is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. And without the help of unpaid family caregivers, we would already be in an impossible situation.
Currently, 16.1 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. The value of that care amounts to $232 billion.
And while we are seeing improvements in care and treatment of other diseases, that has not yet happened with Alzheimer’s. Death from heart disease decreased 11 percent from 2000 to 2015. Alzheimer’s deaths have increased 123 percent.
It is estimated that early and accurate diagnosis could save up to $7.9 trillion in medical and care costs. Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the U.S. $277 billion in 2018. Without research and a cure, that number could rise to $1.1 trillion by 2050. Today there are 5.7 million Americans with Alzheimer’s, and again without research and a cure that number can reach 14 million by 2050.
So the efforts being done by researchers today is critical to prevent medical and financial catastrophe here and around the world.