Evidence, with its limits in view.
Established research guides our education. It is not proof that a TMM service treats dementia or prevents it.
Global dementia figures
Alzheimer’s Disease International reports an estimated 55 million people living with dementia in 2020 and projects 139 million by 2050. These are people, not families. The homepage counter illustrates the reported average of one new case every three seconds; it does not track diagnoses in real time.
ADI · Dementia statistics · WHO · Dementia fact sheet. Estimates differ by source and reference year; 55 million is a historical estimate, not a current census.
Where most care happens
Our About page says roughly 80% of adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias receive care in their homes. The wording is deliberate: that CDC figure describes where care is provided and by whom. It is not a statement about where people live.
- CDC · Caregivers of a person with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia — "About 80% of adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias receive care in their homes."
- Alzheimer's Association · Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures — "Most caregivers (66%) live with the person with dementia in the community."
- Population Reference Bureau · The Demography of Dementia and Dementia Caregiving, No. 40 (May 2020) — "In 2015, about 85% of Americans with probable dementia lived at home in the community or in supportive care settings (such as assisted living or personal care homes), whereas about 15% lived in nursing facilities."
Each number answers a different question, so they cannot be added together or swapped for one another. About 80% of people with dementia receive care in a home setting; about 85% live somewhere other than a nursing facility; and about two-thirds of dementia caregivers share a home with the person they support.
The sentence we use in flyers, presentations and referral conversations: "Approximately 80% of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias receive care at home, often from family members or other unpaid caregivers." We do not say "80% keep their loved ones in the home," because that reads as a claim about residence, which the CDC figure does not support.
These figures describe the whole population of people with dementia, not one stage of it. Facility use rises sharply with age and disease progression: one modeled estimate puts nursing home admission by age 80 at about 75% of surviving patients with Alzheimer's disease, against about 4% of the general population. Late-stage needs are a different conversation from the population-level home-care figure, and we do not use the 80% figure to describe late-stage dementia.
A similar unpaid-care figure appears in a Mayo Clinic magazine feature on dementia that our founder recalls reading; that article has not been located, so it is not cited as a source.
The 14 factors and the 45% estimate
The 2024 Lancet Commission identifies 14 potentially modifiable factors across the life course and estimates that addressing them could prevent or delay up to 45% of dementia cases at population level. This is not the percentage of risk that an individual can remove. Associations, timing, overlap, and access to care matter.
The TMM checklist is a custom educational discussion aid, not a validated risk calculator. Its selected factors are not summed into a personal probability. Limited early education and a previous head injury cannot simply be reversed.
The trajectory illustration
The 2020 and 2050 endpoints follow ADI’s published figures. The 2030 and 2040 intermediate bars and the slider’s reduction path are illustrative assumptions. The reduction uses 45% multiplied by the slider setting, phased in linearly. This is not a validated epidemiological model, a causal estimate, or evidence of TMM impact.
Everyday dementia support
Our guidance emphasizes person-centered communication, suitable activities, caregiver support, and professional follow-up. Research supporting these approaches does not guarantee that any particular activity or Zoom session benefits every person.
AI and professional review
The Navigator generates answers using instructions that reference established dementia-care evidence. Individual responses are not clinician-reviewed or peer-reviewed; citations and evidence labels can be wrong. Verify important guidance with a qualified professional. We do not claim that the TMM program has undergone independent clinical evaluation.
Medical & AI Disclaimer. Sources last checked October 14, 2026; evidence may change.