( CNN ) -- Women age 60 and older have a 1 in 6 chance of getting Alzheimer 's disease in their lifetime , and are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer 's compared with breast cancer , according to a report from the Alzheimer 's Association . Men , by comparison , have a 1 in 11 chance of getting Alzheimer 's , according to the 2014 Facts and Figures report . Age is the greatest risk factor for gender differences among Alzheimer 's patients , but it 's not the only reason . Researchers are also looking at genetic and hormonal differences , according to Maria Carrillo , vice president of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer 's Association . The disease affects more than 5 million Americans , two-thirds of them women . The new details about this disease and its impact on women come from a survey of more than 3,000 women commissioned by the Alzheimer 's Association . Overwhelming burden , cost of Alzheimer 's to triple . Carol Moore , 75 , is all too familiar with this gender disparity . She says she never worried about breast cancer because she was vigilant about her health , but thought her forgetfulness was just part of getting older . In 2012 she underwent a battery of screening tests for part of an Alzheimer 's study . Much to her surprise , she was diagnosed with the disease . `` I was hoping against hope there was nothing wrong with me , but there was , '' she says , recalling her fear when the neurologist showed her the MRI of her brain and pointed out the deterioration . Women are also disproportionately affected when it comes to caring for people with Alzheimer 's . Sixty percent of caregivers are women and the care they give is more intense physically and emotionally , according to the annual report . Graphic : Every 67 seconds , someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimer 's . Women are more likely to provide round-the-clock care , including feeding , clothing and diapering , says Carrillo . The average length of time an Alzheimer 's patient requires 24-hour care is four to seven years , but could be as long as 20 years . The cost of Alzheimer 's care is estimated to be $ 214 billion for this year alone . `` We wish we had expensive treatments to brag about , but we do n't , so it 's important to highlight that research funding and research commitments are critical for us to change that balance , '' Carrillo says . In the future , she says , she hopes she 'll be talking about the cost of treatments rather than the cost of care . Mortality rates for other diseases , like breast cancer , are dropping , but the rate of Alzheimer 's deaths is on the rise . Alzheimer 's toll may rank with cancer , heart disease . The impact on women disproportionately extends to the workplace as well , where 20 % of women , as compared with 3 % of men , switch from full-time to part-time work because of their responsibilities as caregivers . Additionally , women are more likely to take a leave of absence from work or stop working altogether . They also report feeling more isolated and depressed than their male counterparts . Another surprise from the report , although not specific to women : 24 % of women and men mistakenly believe they are only at risk for Alzheimer 's disease if they have a family member with it . The cultural breakdown is surprising as well , as 33 % of Hispanics held this mistaken belief and nearly half of Asians did . `` Anyone with a brain is at risk , '' says Angela Geiger , chief strategy officer for the Alzheimer 's Association . `` You can do everything 'right ' and still not prevent Alzheimer 's , '' according to the association 's website . Risk factors for Alzheimer 's include genetics and aging , which are out of your control . However , adopting what the association calls `` healthy brain life habits '' may help delay or prevent the appearance of the disease . Those habits include staying mentally , socially and physically active and adopting a `` brain-healthy diet '' low in fat and cholesterol . Women can also reduce some risk factors by watching their numbers , Carrillo says . That includes blood sugar levels if diabetic , blood pressure and cholesterol . The association is launching a new initiative in conjunction with the report , asking 1 million women to go to the association 's website and share why their brain matters and how they will use it to stop Alzheimer 's disease . In the meantime , Moore , who lives in suburban Atlanta , is taking medication to slow the progression of the disease . She lives alone , still drives and stays active by exercising and attending monthly group meetings with other Alzheimer 's patients . She feels she 'd be more social if she could , but she says she ca n't keep up the way she used to . `` I remind myself you just really have to do one thing at a time , '' she says . `` Needless to say , it 's a frustration . '' Blood test predicts Alzheimer 's disease .
People over 60 have a 1 in 6 chance of developing Alzheimer 's disease . 80 % of Alzheimer 's caregivers are women , according to new report . The cost of Alzheimer 's care is estimated at $ 1 billion this year alone .