NIA statement on the U.S. Cost of Dementia Model report

A project funded by NIA reported that the total economic burden of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias will reach $781 billion this year in the U.S. This first estimate and the subsequent updates from the U.S. Cost of Dementia Model will empower scientists and policymakers to better understand dementia's economic costs, spanning medical expenses, unpaid caregiving, earnings losses, and declines in quality of life.

NIA looks forward to the release of more information on the model at scientific meetings and peer-reviewed publications in the coming months. To enhance reproducibility and transparency, the full dataset will be available in a secure cloud space for the broader research community to make its own calculations of possible future costs. The model has the ability to estimate the impact of various types of interventions (e.g., drug discovery) and other changes (e.g., coverage of services in Medicare) to inform policymaking.

NIA supports this and other evidence-based health economics research projects as a crucial component of our broader scientific portfolio dedicated to advancing dementia prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. This project specifically addresses calls for NIH to invest in more research on care and caregiver support as outlined in NIA Milestone 13.P Care & Caregiving: Policy and payment models.

The U.S. Cost of Dementia Model is being led by researchers at the University of Southern California and is funded by grant U01AG086827.

Richard J. Hodes, M.D.
Director, National Institute on Aging
National Institutes of Health