In January, a study published in the journal Nature Medicine suggested that by 2060, the number of Americans with dementia will double to a total of one million. Also doubling: The estimated lifetime risk of developing the condition, compared to previous estimates.

Figures like these can sound scary — and indeed, dementia projections carry some warnings. For one, they suggest the U.S. urgently needs to pour resources into growing its caregiving workforce to meet future needs. But paradoxically, this number also tells a success story.

Today, thanks to decades of social and medical progress, more Americans than ever are living long enough to get dementia; in the past, more people would have died of cardiovascular disease or cancer at earlier ages. These health advances have also delayed the condition’s onset for many people. 

Perhaps the most hopeful news about dementia is that there’s a lot people can do to lower their chances of developing it, says Michael Fang, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and lead author of the recent study.

The new study hints at the potential disruption to families, caregivers, and the economy if nothing changes to reduce dementia risk, he says. “But if we do do something, there is an opportunity and a potential to bend the curve a little bit.”