Aging
Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia’s State Policies and Mortality in the United States from 2008-2020: A Descriptive Study Nicola Churchill* Nicola Churchill Churchill University of California, Los Angeles
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are the sixth leading cause of death among people aged 65+ in 2022 and are currently the leading cause of disability and morbidity in older adults. In 2025, an estimated 7.2 million Americans aged 65 years and older were living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with prevalence projected to rise. Wedescribe 1) the trends in the adoption of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) policies that were implemented in the U.S. from 2008-2020, as well as 2) the trends in ADRD mortality during 1999-2022. We presented mortality data for the age-adjusted rate of ADRD mortality per 100,000 people in 1999-2022 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER). We also collected policy data from state websites from 2008-2020. Policies were implemented for all 50 states, starting in 2008 and ending in 2020. ADRD mortality steadily rose during 1999 to 2022 period. The first states to implement ADRD in 2008 were Iowa and Kentucky. The greatest number of states—10 in total—implemented policies in 2013. South Dakota, Wyoming, Ohio, and Kansas were the last states to implement policies in 2018-2020. Our study suggests that all the states in the United States implemented a policy to reduce ADRD cases and burden. The contents of these state ADRD policies varied from state to state. Although ADRD policies were implemented, there was still a rise in mortality. This can be partially due to increases in life expectancies because age is one of the greatest risk factors for ADRD. Another for reason the consistent increase in ADRD mortality is the persistent disparities that remain due to the unaddressed social determinants of health. Finally, recognition of ADRD in patients and increasing awareness can increase ADRD mortality by detecting previously undiagnosed cases.