Dementia Statistics

Dementia is a clinical syndrome of loss or decline in memory and other cognitive abilities. It is caused by various diseases and conditions that result in damaged brain cells. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia and accounts for 60-80% of cases in the United States. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia (post stroke), Parkinson's disease, Lewy Body disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Dementia is defined as the loss of mental processing ability, including communication, abstract thinking, judgement and physical abilities, such that it interferes with daily living.

National Statistics

In 2008, 5.2 million people in the United States live with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
In 2007, dementia was the seventh leading cause of death in the country and the fifth leading cause of death for the elderly.
From 2000 - 2005, deaths attributed to Alzheimer's disease increased by 44.7%.
In 2008, one in eight persons age 65 and over (13%) has Alzheimer's disease.
The Medicare hospice benefit, and hospice care in general, are underused. A 2005 study estimated that only 43% of patients eligible for hospice services that year recieved them. The results showed that only 5.7% of nursing home residents and 10.7% of home care clients dying with advanced dementia were referred to hospice.

Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region Statistics

13.9% of all hospice admissions had the primary diagnonis of dementia.
Dementia is the second highest disease that is admitted under hospice care behind cancer.
In only three years, the number of Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region patients with advanced dementia rose 157%, representing nearly 15% of our current patients.