Alzheimer’s disease is a growing public health crisis in California. The impact of Alzheimer’s is projected to rise, and the most recent data show:

• 720,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in California.
• 7.3% of people aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline.
• 1,373,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in California.
• 1.8 billion hours of unpaid care provided by Alzheimer’s caregivers.
• $44.2 billion is the value of the unpaid care.
• $5.2 billion is the cost of Alzheimer’s to the state Medicaid program.

These numbers show that a public health approach is necessary to lessen the burden and enhance the quality of life for those living with cognitive impairment and their families.

Learn more about California: Alzheimer’s Statistics (PDF), Cognitive Decline (PDF), Dementia Caregiving (PDF), Risk Factors (PDF), County-Level Alzheimer's Prevalence (PDF)

Tribes in your state

Use the HBI Road Map for American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples to start conversations with tribal leaders on public health actions that can be taken to support brain health and caregivers. Find tribal leaders and federally recognized tribes in your state: Tribal Leaders Directory.

Public health spotlight

In California, the Department of Public Health designed, released, and promoted an early detection and diagnostic toolkit, The Assessment of Cognitive Complaints Toolkit for Alzheimer's Disease (ACCT-AD). The ACCT-AD is designed to provide primary care providers with the tools necessary to recognize normal cognition, diagnose Alzheimer's disease, and identify other cognitive problems requiring specialty referral.

Learn more about the ACCT-AD including an overview of the California state clinical care guidelines on dementia.

In February 2020, the California Department of Health provided $5 million in grant funding to six local health departments to advance the Healthy Brain Initiative and promote cognitive health as an integral component of public health.

State plan overview

In 2008, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 491 calling for the development of a state plan. Under the direction of the California Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee, established within the California Health and Human Services Agency, a task force was created including representatives from state agencies, community organizations, under-represented communities, and academia as well as health care providers, caregivers and individuals living with the disease. After incorporating public feedback to address California’s culturally diverse population, the Task Force published California’s State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease: An Action Plan for 2011-2021 in early 2011.

Resources for action

State and local public health agencies around the country are taking action against Alzheimer’s by implementing the Healthy Brain Initiative: State and Local Road Map for Public Health, 2023–2027?. Public health practitioners can learn by example and find resources to help guide their response below.