Numbers compiled on Alzheimer’s sobering, frightening

The statistics, as statistics so often can be, are startling.

According to a report at entitled “Alzheimer’s in America,” the following are the frightening facts:

• One in nine Americans over 65 has Alzheimer’s disease. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• When the first wave of baby boomers reached age 85 in 2031, it was projected that more than 3 million people age 85 and older will have Alzheimer’s. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• One-third of Americans over age 85 are afflicted with the illness. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• 3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• Unless a cure is found, more than 16 million Americans will have the disease by 2050. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in America. (Centers for Disease Control)
• One in three seniors die with Alzheimer’s or another kind of dementia. (Centers for Disease Control)
• Typical life expectancy after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is four to eight years. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• In 2014, the 85-years-and-older population includes about 2 million people with Alzheimer’s disease, or 40 percent of all people with Alzheimer’s age 65 and older. (Alzheimer’s Association)
• By 2050, there could be as many as 7 million people age 85 and older with Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for half of all people 65 and older with Alzheimer’s. (Alzheimer’s Association)