SC ranks Tenth in Alzheimer’s Deaths

South Carolina has the 10th highest Alzheimer’s death rate in the nation, according to a new study by the Alzheimer’s Association.  More than 5 million Americans are living with the disease, 79,000 of them are in South Carolina. The study released that women are more at risk for Alzheimer’s disease than men.  After the age of 65, women have a 1 in 6 chance of developing Alzheimer’s, where men have a 1 in 11 chance.  Women are twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s disease in their 60’s than breast cancer.  The cost to care for Alzheimer’s is increasing as well.  There are over 290,000 caregivers across South Carolina.  The cost for care in South Carolina has reached $4.1 billion. By 2050, the Alzheimer’s Association predicts the cost will rise to 1.2 trillion dollars to care for over 16 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease.