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

  • 30,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in Idaho.
  • 9.2% of people aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline.
  • 66,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in Idaho.
  • 105 million hours of unpaid care provided by Alzheimer’s caregivers.
  • $1.8 billion is the value of the unpaid care.
  • $196 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 Idaho: 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.

Public health spotlight

In 2021, the Division of Public Health within the Idaho Department of Health established the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) Program and a statewide ADRD Alliance. View the 2023-2028 ADRD Strategic Plan for Idaho.

Explore public health action against Alzheimer’s

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

Public Health Topics
In September 2021, the Idaho Department of Health received a Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Program Award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

State plan overview

In 2012, the Idaho Legislature established the Idaho Alzheimer’s Planning Group through passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 112. Tasked with determining how the state could best assist individuals and families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease, the Planning Group included representatives from state agencies, advocacy agencies, academia and community organizations as well as researchers, caregivers, individuals affected by Alzheimer’s and the Governor. After conducting a year-long state assessment and soliciting input from community stakeholders and the public-at-large, the Planning Group released A State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: Addressing the Needs of Idahoans with ADRD, Their Caregivers, and Family Members in March 2013. The Idaho legislature endorsed the statewide plan with the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 34 in 2013.

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. Idaho has been involved in this work since 2021. Public health practitioners can learn by example and find resources to help guide their response below.  

Idaho Implementation
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Idaho Department of Health & Welfare Describes the demographics of caregiving adults in Idaho and examines disparities between caregivers and non-caregivers in health outcomes, access to health care, and health-related behaviors

 
Idaho Resources
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Caregivers + BRFSS

Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Dementia Caregiving in Idaho
Idaho Department of Health & Welfare Idaho Caregivers and Related Risk Factors, 2015
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infographic: Caregiving in Idaho (2015)

BRFSS + Cognitive Decline

Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Cognitive Decline in Idaho (2022)
Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet Cognitive Decline in Idaho (2020)
Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Cognitive Decline in Idaho (2016)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infographic: Cognitive Decline in Idaho (2016)
Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Cognitive Decline in Idaho (2013)

BRFSS + Caregivers

Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Dementia Caregiving in Idaho (2021)
Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Dementia Caregiving in Idaho (2015)