About 5.4 million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. By the middle of the century, 16 million people are expected to have the condition.

There are nearly 15 million Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers providing 17 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $202 billion. The Facts and Figures section of the Alzheimer’s Association website finds that caregivers not only suffer emotionally but also physically. Because of the toll of caregiving on their own health, Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers had $7.9 billion in additional health care costs in 2010. More than 60 percent of family caregivers report high levels of stress because of the prolonged duration of caregiving and 33 percent report symptoms of depression.