Meeting the Need for Iowans
The world we know and experience every day is often distinctly different for older adults and individuals living with dementia and changing cognitive abilities. How they live and interact with others, the environment, technology, and activities of daily life are often in marked contrast to how they lived when they were younger or before living with dementia.
And, in Iowa, more and more people are living with dementia:
- Today, 16,400 Eastern Iowans are living with dementia, 4,720 of which are right here in Linn County.
- By 2025, 73,000 Iowans will be living with dementia — a 10.6 % increase from 2020.
- And, by 2050, this number is expected to triple! That equates to 219,000 Iowans living with dementia by 2050.
When more Iowans live with dementia, the need for caregiving services also increases. Caregivers tend to be loved ones, like partners and children.
- In 2022, 98,000 caregivers in Iowa provided 125 million hours of unpaid care — which is equivalent to $2.284 billion of caregiving services.
Every day in the United States, about 10,000 Baby Boomers turn 65. But, as the number of older adults increases, the number of children decreases — meaning the number of potential family caregivers also declines.
The need for age- and dementia-friendly services and resources is only growing, which is why it’s time to think differently about aging and dementia.
