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

• 121,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in Indiana.
• 11.2% of people aged 45 and older have subjective cognitive decline.
• 216,000 family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in Indiana.
• 322 million hours of unpaid care provided by Alzheimer’s caregivers.
• $5.1 billion is the value of the unpaid care.
• $1.2 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 Indiana: 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 Indiana, the State Department of Health analyzed caregiver data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and published a policy brief, Care Giving: Results from the 2012 Indiana BRFSS. In 2021, the State Department of Health released two additional reports using data collected by the Caregiver Module in the 2015 Indiana BRFSS — Association Between Informal Caregivers and the Risk of Psychological Distress and an accompanying research report.

The University of Indiana, Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy collaborated with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency to publish Indiana’s Long Term Care & Aging Workforce report. The report identified gaps among licensed health care professionals in the state who report practicing in geriatrics or long-term care.

State plan overview

In July 2011, Governor Mitch Daniels appointed the Governor’s Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, tasked with developing Indiana’s plan to address Alzheimer’s disease. The Task Force included representatives from state agencies, non-profit organizations, care provider agencies as well as state legislators, researchers, issue experts, caregivers and health care providers. After reviewing the concerns and suggestions expressed during public input sessions, the Task Force published the Indiana Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias 2013-2017 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. Public health practitioners can learn by example and find resources to help guide their response below.