Getting lost. Forgetting names. Changing personality. These are among the most common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, the most well-known and prevalent form of dementia. On this World Alzheimer’s Day Saturday, it is estimated that 5.8 million people are living with the disease in the U.S. alone, according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2019 annual report. That’s a 10% increase from the figure the association published a decade ago. The vast majority of those affected — 5.6 million people — are age 65 or older. Within six years, that number is projected to reach 7.1 million. Within three decades, it could reach 14 million, the association reported.
In Ohio, an estimated 220,000 residents age 65 or older have Alzheimer’s disease.