SWEETWATER COUNTY — A report from the Alzheimer’s Association revealed rates of disease have increased nationwide.
The 2025 Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures report shows survey information from middle-aged adults asked about Alzheimer’s and statistics on seniors aged 65 years and older. Alzheimer’s amongst people ages 65 and older has reached around 7.2 million individuals in America. Including those under the age of 65, the total reaches around 7.4 million. A nationwide survey showed 79% of middle-aged adults, ages 45 to 65, want to know if they have Alzheimer’s and that 58% of them would willingly accept mild to high-risk side effects from newly approved Alzheimer’s medication.
“Our survey finds that people want to know if they have Alzheimer’s, and they want to know before it impacts their daily life,” Debra Antista-Bianchi, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association of Wyoming, said.
The testing used in the process to detect Alzheimer’s has also proven to detect conditions mimicking the disease and has enabled physicians to treat those conditions appropriately. Having the tests done have allowed patients to choose informed treatment methods if they are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Projections show a doubling of individuals with Alzheimer’s by 2060 and two studies have shown that 17-20% of people ages 65 and older are showing mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimer’s is currently the sixth leading cause of death in America, killing more people than breast or prostate cancer.
In Wyoming, 10,300 individuals are living with Alzheimer’s. The most recent figure for deaths come from 2022 and show 240 people have died from the disease. More than 16,000 people have been serving as unpaid caregivers and are providing around 21 million hours of support.
