7% Of Emergency Department Visits By Older Adults Made By Those With Dementia

More than 6.8% of U.S. emergency department visits by adults aged 65 years and older from 2016 through 2019 were made by a person living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias (ADRDs). On average, these visits by individuals with ADRDs accounted for 1.4 million of the 20.4 million visits made annually.

The most common reasons for emergency department visits by older adults with ADRDs were accidents and behavioral disturbances, which occurred at twice the rate of older adults without ADRDs. Annually, of the 1.4 million visits by people with ADRDs, 7.9% were for . . .