Majority of Adults Fear Alzheimer's Disease, Want Greater Effort to Defeat It

Excerpt from: Alzheimer's Reading Room (click for full article)

 

A new survey shows nearly half of U.S. adults have a personal connection to Alzheimer's disease.

According to a national survey for the Banner Alzheimer's Institute, the results also found more than seven in 10 adults, or 218 million Americans, worry about memory loss or the disease for themselves or a loved one.

Most Americans now realize how devastating this disease is for individuals, families and the country," said Eric Reiman, M.D., executive director of the Banner Alzheimer's Institute (BAI). "We need to marshal their awareness and concerns to push forward on the research that holds the greatest promise for stopping Alzheimer's."

As November marks National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, the survey illustrates the disease's increasing impact as the nation ages and the prevalence of Alzheimer's continues to rise, being the only condition among the top 10 causes of death that has no cure or treatment. With 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer's today, the Alzheimer's Association projects the number of people living with the disease could exceed 7.7 million by 2030.