[The cost of applying the Dependency Law to Alzheimer disease].

Aim: To calculate the formal cost of social care for people with Alzheimer disease according to the implementation of the dependency law in Gipuzkoa (Spain).

Method: A retrospective observational study was carried out of the database of the Dependency Care Services of Gipuzkoa from 2007 to 2012, using a prevalence-based bottom-up approach.

Results: The average annual formal cost per person was €11,730. The annual population cost was €34.7 million, representing 19% of the annual expenditure corresponding to the dependency law and 29% of the total cost of Alzheimer disease.

Conclusions: Despite the implementation of the new law, most of the burden of the disease is bourne by the family.