Map reveals extent of Alzheimer’s in over-65s

A NEW dementia map of England reveals that 4.3 per cent of over-65s in the West Midlands are suffering from the cruel disease.

The interactive atlas, released by the Department of Health, also charts the quality of care sufferers receive and data on prevention and diagnosis.

It is broken down into areas run by different Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG).

The Birmingham South and Central area showed the highest number of patients over 65, with 5.14 per cent fighting the condition, while Wolverhampton was not far behind with 5.05 per cent.

Dudley had the least amount with 3.76 per cent.

Through a simple postcode search, visitors can view meaningful data on performance around dementia services in their area.

This greater transparency will offer people vital knowledge on how health and care services are performing and highlight areas where improvements are needed.

Birmingham will be one of four cities chosen for a new NHS Health Check Dementia pilot scheme, which will help create more awareness among 40 to 64-year-olds on how to reduce the risk of the disease.

Steve Hayward, services manager for Birmingham and Solihull at Alzheimer’s Socie- ty, said: “Making more userfriendly information on dementia accessible online is a step in the right direction.

“People can now see which parts of the country are leading the way with developing dementia friendly communities – and how many dementia friends there are in each area.

“We need to build on this by adding more information regarding people with dementia experiences or health and care to maximise the impact of the atlas, enabling decision makers to address regional variation and promote good practice.”

To see the map log onto https://shapeatlas.net/dementia.