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

• 459,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in Texas.
• 11.7% of people aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline.
• 1,016,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in Texas.
• 1.5 billion hours of unpaid care provided by Alzheimer’s caregivers.
• $23.9 billion is the value of the unpaid care.
• $3.9 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 Texas: 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 2020, the Texas Department of State Health Services launched a public awareness campaign — When You Notice Something Say Something — about the differences between normal aging and the warning signs of dementia. Visit the Campaign Toolkit to find campaign resources including social media graphics, digital flyers, and public service announcements in English and Spanish. They also adapted and promoted the Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain flyer that integrates cognitive health messaging into cardiovascular health awareness.

State plan overview

In March 2009, the Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders and the Texas Department of State Health Services Alzheimer’s Disease Program formed a steering committee charged with developing the state’s response to Alzheimer’s disease. Working with a statewide partnership, representatives from the health care sector, community organizations, academia, state agencies, and businesses as well as families impacted by Alzheimer’s drafted Putting the Pieces Together: A Comprehensive Plan for Addressing the Burden of Alzheimer’s Disease in Texas 2010-2015. The plan was originally published in September 2010. In September 2019, the Texas Council on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders and the Alzheimer's Disease Program at the Texas Department of State Health Services published the Texas State Plan on Alzheimer's Disease 2019-2023. View biennial reports on the progress and implementation of these plans.

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.