The Alliance to Improve Dementia Care
Overview
The number of people living with dementia is projected to double by 2040, and there is a growing shortage of health- and long-term-care providers with specialized training in geriatrics and dementia care. The Alliance comes at a critical moment to ensure we build workforce capacity and implement comprehensive dementia-care models to effectively identify people living with dementia, tailor services to meet their needs and those of their caregivers, and ensure they get the right care at the right time. Using a consensus-driven, cross-sector approach, the Alliance will prioritize efforts to improve outcomes, reduce costs, support caregivers, and narrow disparities.
More than 70 percent of the projected $380 billion cost of dementia over the next two decades will be attributed to the treatment of women.
The approximate number of patients that would develop Alzheimer’s dementia between 2020 and 2040 while on waiting lists for treatment. Projected capacity is insufficient to handle the expected caseload.
If we can delay the onset of dementia by even five years, we could reduce the incidence of the diseases causing dementia by half.
The Alliance expects to accomplish these goals:
• Partner with leaders across multiple sectors to create solutions to optimize the workforce, build system capacity, and integrate services and support.
• Collaborate with federal advisory boards, government, government leaders, and decision-makers to overcome long-standing payment and care barriers.
• Engage policymakers and connect with leading stakeholders to advance recommendations and develop scalable solutions to improve dementia care.
• Develop and promote policies that reduce disparities in prevalence and access to services for populations at the highest risk for dementia (e.g., women, communities of color).
Reducing the Cost and Risk of Dementia
In October 2019, we put forward new ideas to reduce the cost and risk of dementia. We updated previously published data and expanded our analysis to include the value of brain health and the effects of dementia on diverse communities.
Read the ReportBuilding a Dementia-Capable Workforce amid COVID-19
To address the impact of COVID-19 on people with dementia and their caregivers, this brief analyzes policy and funding updates and proposes recommendations to build a COVID-19-ready, dementia-capable workforce.
Read the Brief
