ABSTRACT
In 2005, over 4.5 million Americans were estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease (Hebert, Scherr, Bienias, Bennett, & Evans, 2003) and that number is projected to reach to between 11 and 16 million by 2050. Increasing age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s, with as many as one in ten individuals over the age of 65 and 48% of those 85 years and older affected (Evans et al., 1989). Overall, the population of those 65 and older will double by 2050 (Hebert et al., 2003). The trend of living longer will clearly contribute to the huge increases in the number of persons impacted by dementing illness. Of course, this only represents the individuals impacted by the disease. When we consider that one in ten Americans has a family member with the disease and one in three is concerned about someone who is impacted, we can see the major impact of dementia on our communities (Alzheimer’s Association, 1992).
