Estimating the Economic Burden of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias in San Diego County

Approximately 60,000 San Diego County residents are living with Alzheimer’s disease and/or another form of dementia (ADOD).  The resources required to provide care to those living with ADOD are expensive and place hardships on the finances of people with the disease and their caregivers. After a literature review and assessment of data sources, the County of San Diego estimated lifetime costs, hospitalization costs, and cost of caregiving for San Diegans living with ADOD. These costs were projected to 2020 and 2030.

Lifetime costs included direct and indirect medical costs and the average length of survival after ADOD diagnosis, coming to $27 billion. Hospitalization costs were determined using California Department of Public Health Patient Discharge Data. There were nearly 17,000 hospitalizations with any mention of ADOD, accounting for $886 million in direct charges. Lastly, caregiving estimates were determined using national and state estimates adjusted for San Diego County based on estimated ADOD prevalence. More than 136,800 San Diegans provided 156 million hours of unpaid care, worth $1.94 billion. Health care costs to caregivers due to impacts of caregiving were $75.4 million.

Estimating the economic burden ADOD places on social and health care systems is important for policy and program planning. The methods used in San Diego County can be applied in other jurisdictions to estimate the economic burden of ADOD. This information is essential for leading informed discussions and making data driven decisions when planning for the increase in residents living with ADOD.