Roughly one in eight (or 5.4 million) older Americans lives with Alzheimer's disease; of these, 800,000 live alone and half don't have a caregiver. Compared with those who live with someone, patients with Alzheimer's disease who live alone are at higher risk for falls, wandering, and being placed in a nursing home earlier, which increases health care costs. In 2012 the United States will spend $200 billion on the care of patients with Alzheimer's disease, $140 billion of that paid by Medicare and Medicaid. Another 15 million people (families and friends) provide the equivalent of $210 billion in nonreimbursed care. By 2050 the annual cost of caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease is projected to increase to $1.1 trillion, according to the latest Facts and Figures report from the Alzheimer's Association (http://www.alz.org/facts).