About the Center

Our Background

A Public Health Strategy For Dementia

In 2018, the U.S. Congress passed the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, providing the blueprint for the first national strategy to address dementia in the U.S. The activities outlined in BOLD aim to create a cohesive national public health infrastructure for dementia, aligned with the Healthy Brain Initiative’s State and Local Road Map for Public Health, 2023-2027 and the Road Map for Indian Country.

Established by the BOLD legislation, the Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving (PHCOE-DC) works to elevate the work of family dementia caregivers, and collaborates with the members of the HBI Collaborative to build the capacity of public health departments to support family caregivers of people with dementia nationwide.

Our Work

Contributing to public health solutions

Our Center is dedicated to enhancing our collective response to the challenges of dementia and elevating caregiving as a central part of public health practice. Through collaboration and tailored assistance, we aim to build the capacity of public health agencies to support the work of family caregivers of people with dementia nationwide.

Expert Assistance

Our team offers expert technical guidance to public health agencies for selecting their caregiving-related goals and implementing effective strategies to support the work and wellbeing of dementia caregivers in their community.

Resources & Tools for Public Health

We improve access to evidence-based programs designed to help dementia caregivers, and curate and distribute impactful tools and resources for public health agencies to inform their caregiving initiatives.

Partnerships & Collaboration

We foster connections and partnerships among public health, service organizations, healthcare providers, and others who serve people with dementia and their care partners. We provide a collaborative forum for public health agencies and their partners to share successful strategies and cultivate innovative solutions.

Public Health Importance of Dementia Caregiving

12.7 Million

people with Alzheimer’s dementia in the U.S

By 2050, the number of people age 65+ with Alzheimer’s dementia is expected to reach 12.7 million, up from 6.9 million in 2023.

18.4 Billion

hours of unpaid care

Family members and friends provided an estimated $346.6 billion (or 18.4 billion hours) in unpaid care to people living with dementia in 2023.

11.5 Million

dementia caregivers

In 2023, more than 11 million Americans provided unpaid care for a family member or friend with dementia.

59%

feel high emotional stress

59% of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias rated the emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high.

27%

delayed seeking care

38% of dementia caregivers reported high to very high levels of physical stress, and 27% delayed seeking the care they need to maintain their own health.

Our Member Organizations

Harnessing A National Network Of Leaders

One of the PHCOE-DC’s key assets lies in its extensive member network comprising national organizations and prominent leaders dedicated to advancing the field of dementia caregiving through the development and dissemination of tools, resources, and evidence-based programs.