Dementia cost in India and World Alzheimer's Day 2010 : some facts from ARDSI.

Some figures : 

‎"India's 60-plus brigade-often neglected in discussions about our young population-has been growing steadily. The group accounted for less than 5% of the population in 2001, but will make up 14% by 2050. In sheer numbers, projections from the latest 2011 Census pegged the 60-plus population at 100 million. "In 2026, they will account for over 174 million," said Dr Fauzdar Ram, director of the International Institute of Population Sciences."

21ST September is observed as World Alzheimer’s Day (WAD) to unite people affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias and to give carers and medical professionals worldwide the chance to share their stories and take part in a variety of activities in order to raise awareness among the public and key decision makers.

We at ARDSI have been encouraging observance of WAD by way of memory walks, cycle rally, press conferences, essay/drawing/photography features in Newspapers, Radio and TV and or for the last few years have been commemorating it as National Dementia Awareness Week.

It is also important to note the Dementia India Report that would brought out in 2010, which calls for a National Dementia Strategy and larger allocations for health and welfare ressoures to meet the growing challenges from this mind crippling illness.

Dementia India Report 2010 was the first such authenticated one ever undertaken in a developing country. 


With the India population at 1.21 billion, of which 75 million people are over sixty years, 3.7 millions affected. (Prevalence of 0.6% - 10.6% in rural areas and 0.9% to 7.5% in urban areas). The Cost of caring an individual is Rs. 43,000 anually and societal cost to care 3.7 million is Rs 14,700 Crores, which by 2030, people affected estimated as 7 million and the cost would increase three times.

Jubin Jose,

ARDSI.