Alzheimer’s disease is a growing public health crisis in Maine. 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 Maine.
  • 7.8% of people aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline.
  • 51,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in Maine.
  • 87 million hours of unpaid care provided by Alzheimer’s caregivers.
  • $1.9 billion is the value of the unpaid care.
  • $274 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 Maine: 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 Maine, the Bangor Public Health & Community Services Department and partners educated its employees on how to prepare for the Alzheimer’s public health crisis emphasizing early detection and diagnosis and brain health.

Explore public health action against Alzheimer’s

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

See Public Health Topics
In September 2020, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services 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 June 2011, Maine’s legislature commissioned a state task force with the enactment of LD 859, calling for a study of the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and the creation of a guide to help the state meet the needs of individuals and families impacted by this disease. The task force included representatives from elder law, community organizations, state agencies, academia and law enforcement as well as caregivers, individuals living with the disease, state legislators and health care providers. After soliciting public feedback, the task force published the State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Maine in June 2012.

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.  

Maine Implementation
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Maine Department of Health and Human Services Maine Department of Health and Human Services published county-specific health profiles including metrics on subjective cognitive decline.
Department of Health and Human Services Distributed the State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Maine – a special insert for health care providers on cognitive assessment tools, early detection, and the value of early diagnosis – to primary care professionals through hospital and health systems.

 
Maine Resources
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Caregivers + BRFSS

Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Dementia Caregiving in Maine
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infographic: Caregiving in Maine
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infographic: Caregiving in Maine

BRFSS + Cognitive Decline

Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Cognitive Decline in Maine (2020)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infographic: Subjective Cognitive Decline in Maine (2018) (2018)
Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Cognitive Decline in Maine (2016)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infographic: Cognitive Decline in Maine (2016)
Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Cognitive Decline in Maine (2012)

BRFSS + Caregivers

Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Dementia Caregiving in Maine (2019)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infographic: Caregiving in Maine (2019)
Alzheimer's Association Fact Sheet: Dementia Caregiving in Maine (2015)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infographic: Caregiving in Maine (2015)