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

• 152,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in Arizona.
• 8.9% of people aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline.
• 292,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in Arizona.
• 483 million hours of unpaid care provided by Alzheimer’s caregivers.
• $10.2 billion is the value of the unpaid care.
• $545 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 Arizona: 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

The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) conducted a community needs assessment for caregivers, uncovering unique challenges faced by dementia caregivers in the state. To better meet this growing need, ADHS is working with local health departments to implement a dementia caregiving self-management program — Duet’s Finding Meaning and Hope (FM&H). FM&H enhances dementia caregivers’ skills to better ensure quality care for those living with dementia and emphasizes ways for caregivers to maintain their own health while caregiving. Through a contracted consulting firm, ADHS is providing coordination, training and technical assistance to local health departments to implement FM&H throughout communities. ADHS is also comprehensively evaluating the program and impact.

State plan overview

The Arizona Alzheimer’s Task Force was established in 2011 as a collaboration of the Governor’s Office on Aging, the Arizona Department of Economic Security Division of Aging and Adult Services, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium, and the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter. The goal was to bring together a wide range of stakeholders, both public and private, to develop a plan to address the growing number of Arizonans with Alzheimer’s disease. In 2016, the Task Force published the Arizona Alzheimer’s State Plan: A Framework for Action, which was developed through the cooperation of more than 100 community members.

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.