June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and provides an opportunity for conversation about one of the fastest growing diseases diagnosed in the United States. The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease is growing – and growing fast. Recent research reported by the Alzheimer’s Association suggests that one in nine people over the age of 65 has Alzheimer’s disease. There are 5.4 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, and by mid-century, someone in the United States will develop the disease every 33 seconds.

These numbers are expected to escalate rapidly in coming years, as the baby boom generation is beginning to reach age 65 and beyond. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease may more than double, to a projected 13.8 million.