Dementia
Page Last updated 14-12-2010
- Dementia is one of the main causes of disability in later life, having a major impact on capacity for independent living. The 2003 World Health Report Global Burden of Disease estimates dementia contributed to 11.2% of all years lived with a disability among people over 60 years, which was more than stroke (9.5%), muscular skeletal disorders (8.9%), cardio vascular disease (5.0%) and all forms of cancer (2.4%)
- It is estimated that there are now 683,597 people with dementia in the UK and that this represents 1.1% of the entire UK population.
- 424,378 people with late-onset dementia (63.5%) live in private households, whereas 244,185 (36.5%) live in care homes.
- The proportion of those with dementia living in care homes rises steadily with age, from 26.6% of those aged 65-74 to 60.8% of those aged 90 and over.
- Dementia affects one person in 20 aged over 65 year and 1 person in 5 over 80yrs (Hoffman et al., 1991).
- Dementia costs the health and social care economy more than cancer, heart disease and stroke combined.
- Fewer than half of older people with dementia ever receive a diagnosis.
- A third of people who provide unpaid care for an older person with dementia have depression. (Age Concern 2007)
- Everybody's business - Integrated mental health services for older adults: a service development guide launched in November 2005 suggests that 40% of older people visiting their G.P people experience mental health problems as do 50% of general hospital patients and 60% of people who live in care homes.
- Two thirds of NHS beds are occupied by people aged 65 and over and up to two thirds of some inpatient groups either have mental health problems already or will go on to develop them during their inpatient stay. Older people with mental health problems are also very high frequency users of emergency bed days.
- People with dementia are amongst the most vulnerable in our society to abuse and neglect. Those without carers involved are particularly vulnerable and have, at times, been unable to express their views or have their past lifestyle and wishes taken into account in terms of decision making and advocacy.
- Younger people with dementia and their carers are likely to have particular needs which may differ from those of older people because they may be in employment, have dependent children, be physically fit and active, have financial commitments, such as mortgage, have a rarer form of dementia.
- Life expectancy for people with learning disability has increased and therefore there is an increased risk of dementia developing in this group. Early stages are likely to be missed or misinterpreted and changes in ability are more difficult to assess. Approximately 20% of people with a learning disability have Down's syndrome and are particularly at risk of developing dementia.
- The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR's) report Older People and Wellbeing states that people caring for people with dementia have a much higher likelihood of being depressed themselves and so rising numbers of people with dementia are likely to have a double impact on wellbeing.