Dementia cases up by over a third
THE number of people diagnosed with dementia in West Lancashire has risen by 39% in just five years latest figures show.
According to data collated by the BBC Shared Data Unit, there were 1,123 people on the dementia register in the West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group area in March last year.
This is an increase from 809 in April 2014.
The figures show there were around 508,000 people on the dementia register in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, officials estimate there were 19,000 people living with dementia.
England experienced a 41% increase of people on the dementia register, with Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group showing the largest increase of 207%.
The data has prompted a warning from health professionals about the lack of support being offered to families caring for loved ones with dementia.
Dr Clarissa Giebel, NIHR ARC NWC at the University of Liverpool, said: “Family carers can often care for their loved ones 24/7, depending on the stage of dementia.
“This means they rarely get any time off for themselves and can easily feel stressed.
“That’s why respite care (where their loved one with dementia goes to a care home for a few days for example) or offering befriending services so that the family can take some time out for themselves, are vital.”
Experts have blamed the rise on a drive to increase diagnosis and an ageing population.
An initiative set up by the Government in NHS England in 2015 sought to increase dementia care and support and make England the world-leader in dementia research by 2020.
Finding a cure for the disease has proven difficult.
Dr Penny Foulds, founder of the Defying Dementia campaign at Lancaster University, said: “The main problem is the disease process can start 15 to 20 years before the onset of clinical symptoms. The disease only comes to light after there’s been a lot of damage to the brain process.”
Dr Foulds and her team have been developing a treatment that blocks the formation of senile plaques and tangles in the brain.
She is optimistic of a future cure: “When one of these studies shows some efficacy, then it will open the door for lots of others that are aimed at the same target.
“I like to be optimistic, if ultimately a study is designed correctly, then one of these therapies will show it and slow the disease process down.”
The NHS website defines Dementia as a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning.
This includes problems with: memory loss, language, judgement and movement.
One of the most common forms of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, with the Alzheimer’s Society estimating there are 850,000 suffering with dementia in the UK.