Local Alzheimer’s Advocate Not Surprised By Numbers

A new study that shows the number of cases of Alzheimer’s projected to reach nearly 14 million by 2050 does not surprise one local advocate.

Tracy Plant serves as the Cumberlands Area Regional Director for Alzheimer’s Tennessee.

“Professionals on both the local level and the national level have been making this call out for awhile that we not near as prepared as we should be,” Plant said.

The study released this week show the number of Alzheimer’s disease growing from 5.7 million in 2018 to 7.1 million in 2025.

“The baby boomers are coming to a time where they are getting into the age where a lot these disorders occur,” Plant said.

The Alzheimer’s Association found that the deaths from Alzheimer’s have risen some 123 percent since 2000. The number of Americans dying from heart disease, the leading cause of death nationally, fell eleven percent.