Every 72 seconds, someone in America is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease
The Toll of Alzheimer's Disease
The Triple Solution for a Healthier America is a three-part approach to tackle chronic diseases, promote a healthier life, and lower healthcare costs by focusing on Prevention, Intervention, and Innovation.

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The Triple Solution for a Healthier America: Using Prevention to reduce chronic disease, promote a healthier life, and lower healthcare costs of diabetes and other chronic diseases The Triple Solution for a Healthier America: Using Intervention to better manage chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, promote a healthier life, and lower healthcare costs. The Triple Solution for a Healthier America: Using Innovation to reduce chronic disease and lower healthcare costs. Learn what you can do to reduce chronic disease, lower healthcare costs, and live a healthier life through personal, professional, and political involvement with the Triple Solution for a Healthier America.

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A Growing Challenge

Today, the fastest growing population in America, people over the age of 65, is also the population at greatest risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.1 While progress has been made, available treatments are still limited and no means of prevention is available today. So Alzheimer’s disease poses a growing challenge to quality of life and the healthcare system:

  • Costs of Alzheimer’s disease exceed $148 billion a year.12
  • State and federal Medicare spending for nursing home care is expected to reach $32 billion by 2025.1
  • New cases of Alzheimer’s disease are expected to triple or quadruple over the next 30 to 40 years.12

40 every hour.
980 every day.
360,000 every year.5

Over 90 new Alzheimer’s medicines are currently in clinical development.5

A Tremendous Personal Impact

Alzheimer’s disease can change life dramatically not only for the people with the disease, but also for their families. The memory loss associated with dementia and other symptoms leave sufferers unable to care for themselves or live independently. As a result:

  • Loved ones are often forced to become caregivers. This places an emotional and physical burden on them.
  • When the disease progresses, loved ones face difficult decisions about long-term care. The financial burden of live-in nurses or care facilities can be overwhelming..

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by just 5 years could cut the number of people who develop it in half.7

Find out what you can do to help this effort.

References:

  1. Hobbs FB. The Elderly Population. US Census Bureau Decennial Census, Population Estimates and Projections.
  2. Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures 2007. Alzheimer’s Association Web site. Available at http://www.alz.org/documents_custom/report_alzfactsfigures2010.pdf. Accessed April 10, 2010.
  3. The Lewin Group. Saving Lives. Saving Money: Dividends for Americans Investing in Alzheimer Research.
  4. GSK: Public Policy Department. Changing the Debate on Healthcare Costs in the US: The Triple Solution for Lower Cost, Better Quality Healthcare. Available at http://us.gsk.com/docs-pdf/media-news/changing-the-debate-triple-solution.pdf. Accessed July 24, 2007.
  5. Cummings J, Cole G. Alzheimer’s disease. JAMA. 2002;287(18):2335-2338.
  6. America’s Pharmaceutical Research Companies. Pharmaceutical Research Companies Are Developing More Than 300 Medicines to Treat Mental Illnesses. Medicines in Development for Mental Illness 2010. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Web site. Available at http://www.phrma.org/sites/phrma.org/files/attachments/Mental_2010.pdf. Accessed Oct 5, 2010.
  7. Alzheimer’s Association. Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer’s Disease: A National Imperative. Alzheimer’s Association Web site. Available at http://www.alz.org/documents_custom/trajectory.pdf. Accessed Oct 5, 2010.