Healthy People 2030 sets data-driven national objectives to improve health and well-being over the next decade. It includes a national goal of improving health and quality of life for people with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia refers to a group of symptoms that cause problems with memory, thinking, and behavior.

Healthy People 2030 includes three dementia-related objectives:

• Increase the proportion of older adults with dementia, or their caregivers, who know they have it;
• Reduce the proportion of preventable hospitalizations in older adults with dementia; and
• Increase the proportion of adults with subjective cognitive decline who have discussed their symptoms with a provider.

This indicator measures the percent of older adults who experienced functional difficulties associated with subjective cognitive decline or memory loss. These functional difficulties include difficulties with being able to work, volunteer, or engage in social activities. Efforts to make sure adults with symptoms of cognitive decline — including memory loss — are diagnosed early can help improve health outcomes in people with dementia. Check out the Health Reimagined Goal Page to explore dynamic visualizations and view more detailed data related to this topic.

To learn more about our data sources and methodologies, please see the Data Dashboard for Aging - About the Data Technical Guide.

• Healthy People 2030: Dementias
• Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Way Forward
• Subjective Cognitive Decline – A Public Health Issue (CDC)
• Chronic Diseases and Cognitive Decline – A Public Health Issue (CDC)
• Our Path Forward: Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness (Final Recommendations of the California Task Force)
• California’s State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease
• California Department of Aging: Get Help Dealing with Memory Problems
• Alzheimer’s Association
• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Cognitive Decline Module