Faith and Spirituality: Supporting Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia

The number of Americans currently afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will reach crisis proportions in the future. The current number of approximately 5.4 million Americans is predicted to quadruple by the year 2047. One in eight people over age 65 have the disease, and nearly half have it by age 85. Someone new is diagnosed with the disease every 69 s (Alzheimer’s Association, 2011). Caregivers face stressful challenges in providing care for relatives with dementia, as average length of caregiving exceeds 8–10 years.