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

• 580,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in Florida.
• 13.6% of people aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline.
• 840,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in Florida.
• 1.3 billion hours of unpaid care provided by Alzheimer’s caregivers.
• $24.4 billion is the value of the unpaid care.
• $3.4 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 Florida: 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 Florida, the Department of Health partnered with community health care providers, provider associations and prominent academic researchers to host a research symposium promoting early detection and diagnosis that also had tailored education sessions for caregivers of people living with dementia.

Florida added Alzheimer’s-specific objectives to the State Health Improvement Plan to better address risk reduction of cognitive decline, expand early detection efforts, reduce health disparities, and reduce abuse and exploitation of people living with dementia.

State plan overview

In 2012, the Florida legislature passed HB 473, establishing the Purple Ribbon Task Force (PRTF) within the Department of Elder Affairs, consisting of 18 culturally diverse individuals appointed by the Governor, the President of the Florida Senate and the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. The legislation required the PRTF to submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report of its findings and date-specific recommendations in the form of an Alzheimer’s disease state plan. The state plan is based upon the January 2013 “PRTF Interim Report.” The Task Force published the Final Report and Recommendations, State Plan on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Forms of Dementia (ADRD) in August 2013. Although the legislation terminates the task force with the submission of the state plan, the findings and date-specific recommendations in the state plan provide a catalyst to mobilize a state response to this public health crisis, and a guide to modernize state policy with respect to persons having ADRD.

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.