Prevalence and Impact

Dementia may occur at all ages, but its incidence increases with advanced
age. Dementia is most frequent in those older than seventy-five. There are
an estimated 600,000 cases of advanced dementia in the United States, and
milder degrees of altered mental status are very common in the elderly. The
prevalence of dementia increases from 1 percent at age sixty to 40 percent at
age eighty-five. The expense of long-term care at home or in a nursing facility
has been estimated at $40 billion per year for people age sixty-five and
older. The prevalence of dementia is expected to continue to increase as a
result of increased life expectancy and an aging population of baby boomers.
Many of the problems caused by dementia are due to memory loss.