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

  • ​19,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in Delaware.
  • 8.1% of people aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline.
  • 31,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in Delaware.
  • 45 million hours of unpaid care provided by Alzheimer’s caregivers.
  • $885 million is the value of the unpaid care.
  • $253 million 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 Delaware: 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 Indian Country 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.

State plan overview

Explore public health action against Alzheimer’s

Learn more about areas essential to addressing Alzheimer's from a public health perspective.

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In early 2012 the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter coordinated a meeting with then Governor Jack Markell, former Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services, Rita Landgraf, and former Director of the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD), Bill Love. During the meeting, there was a consensus about the importance of mapping out a strategy to address Alzheimer’s disease in Delaware, and a decision was made to begin working on the development of an Alzheimer’s state plan.

The Alzheimer’s Association and DSAAPD established a Task Force, comprised of caregivers, advocates and professionals representing a broad range of organizations. With support from DSAAPD staff, the Task Force published the Delaware State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders in December 2013. Since the release of the Delaware State Plan, an Advisory Committee made up of a variety of stakeholders from the Alzheimer’s community, has been meeting to oversee the Plan’s implementation. Learn more at delaware.gov.

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.  

Delaware Implementation
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No known public health action at this time.

 
Delaware Resources
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BRFSS + Cognitive Decline

Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Cognitive Decline in Delaware (2020)
Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Cognitive Decline in Delaware (2016)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infographic: Cognitive Decline in Delaware (2016)