The USC Schaeffer Center reports the $781 billion estimate as the NIA-funded 2025 baseline for total U.S. dementia costs, in its April 2025 analysis. The same NIA-funded model estimates $818 billion for 2026 among 5.7 million adults living with dementia, according to the USC Schaeffer Center.
Total cost means medical care, long-term care, unpaid care, lost wages and quality-of-life losses. Most of that burden lands on families, not clinics. For working caregivers, the cost appears as lost hours, paid help and strained health.
Medical information disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a physician or other qualified health professional about symptoms, medications, tests, or treatment decisions.
Table of Contents
- Where the dollar total comes from
- Why working caregivers feel it first
- Why does needed respite go unused?
- What backup coverage can you arrange now?
Where the dollar total comes from
The USC Schaeffer Center details the 2026 $818 billion total, in its June 2026 update. It includes $237 billion for 6.8 billion unpaid caregiving hours. It includes $222 billion for medical and long-term care plus $23 billion in lost wages.
Quality-of-life losses add $320 billion and $15 billion. The Association of Health Care Journalists reports that only about 27 cents of every dementia dollar flows through the health system. Families absorb the rest through unpaid time, out-of-pocket spending and health losses.
Why working caregivers feel it first
The Alzheimer's Association reports nearly 13 million family members and friends provided dementia care in 2025. They gave more than 19 billion hours of unpaid care. That care was valued at over $446 billion for 7.4 million Americans age 65 and older with Alzheimer's.
About 60 percent of dementia caregivers are employed, according to the Alzheimer's Association summary on working caregivers. Among working caregivers, 57 percent arrive late, leave early or take time off, and about 9 percent leave work entirely. Lost hours reduce income and raise risk of job loss. Coverage gaps then shift more care to evenings and weekends.
Why does needed respite go unused?
Data from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, summarized by CAPC, show about 38 to 40 percent of caregivers say respite would help. Only about 13 to 14 percent use respite.
That gap leaves employed caregivers without backup during work hours. A missed shift can then become lost pay or a forced exit.
What backup coverage can you arrange now?
The National Institute on Aging points working families to respite at home or in adult day centers and to home aides, in its caregiver help guide. It also points families to the ARCH Respite Locator and Eldercare Locator to arrange backup coverage.
Pick one option and contact it this week. Keep the confirmation and backup phone number where you can reach them during work.
- Ask about respite at home for work-hour coverage
- Ask about adult day centers for daytime backup
- Ask about a home aide for hands-on help
- Use the ARCH Respite Locator and Eldercare Locator to find local options
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- Strengths-Based Dementia Care in the 2026 NIA Report: Cost and Access Questions for Working Dementia Caregivers
