FORBES | Alzheimer’s may be one of the most frightening health challenges today. Over five million Americans—one in eight age 65 and older and one in three age 85 and older—are living with dementia and we don’t yet have a treatment that can prevent or cure the disease. But these men and women are not alone. They are supported by 15.5 million family members and friends, and there are things we can all do to ease their burden.

In 2015, Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the nation $226 billion, with half of the costs borne by Medicare. Last year caregivers provided 17.9 billion hours of unpaid care, averaging 22 hours per week and valued at $217.7 billion annually; $34 billion annually is lost in revenue/productivity due to caregiving responsibilities. Unless something is done, in 2050, Alzheimer’s is projected to cost up to $1.1 trillion (in 2015 dollars). This is both financially and socially unsustainable.

In May, I challenged the new Presidential candidates to make a War on Alzheimer’s a top health care priority, and I know that researchers are hard at work developing new drugs to treat, prevent, and slow the disease. We need increased federal and private sector funding to enable innovation in the field of cognitive disorders, and new initiatives in Washington are moving forward.

Read more at Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/billfrist/2015/07/31/making-dementia-friendly-communities-the-new-normal/#1809bf1316b0