A DEMENTIA CRISIS
THE DEBILITATING CONDITION IS AN EPIDEMIC OF OUR TIME
THE PROPORTION of people suffering from dementia is set to double in the next few decades, experts have warned. Currently one in every 72 people has the disease, but according to a report from Dementia UK, the figure is expected to rise to one in every 36 people in the UK by the year 2051.
Dementia is an umbrella term for memory loss, disorientation, and problems with thinking, among other things. It is one of the main causes of disability later in life, ahead of cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is caused when the brain is damaged by illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease or a series of strokes. The nature of the condition means it not only impacts the lives of those afflicted, but those close to them as well. Paula Edwards, director of clinical services at Dementia UK, said: “Feelings of hopelessness, confusion and loneliness are commonplace not just in the person diagnosed but also for relatives, close friends and partners as the disease unfolds.”
By 2051, some 2.1 million people out of a 74.5 million-strong population will have the disease.
The number of people living with dementia is first expected to reach more than one million in 2021, with the condition affecting one in every 67 people.
A report from the Alzheimer’s Society says that the growth in diagnoses will be driven solely by an ageing population, with life expectancy increasing while mortality declines.
In fact, Alzheimer’s is the disease people aged 60 years and above fear the most, according to a YouGov poll.
While dementia is incurable, drugs and therapies can help stall its progression.
Delaying the onset of dementia by five years would halve the number of deaths from the condition, which would save around 30,000 lives a year.
Laura Phipps, head of communications and engagement at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Currently, dementia is the only leading cause of death in the UK that we can’t slow down, stop or prevent completely.
“With population rates expected to rise alongside the number of people living with dementia, it would be easy to assume dementia is an inevitable part of ageing, but this isn’t the case. “We know that dementia is caused by diseases, and that means the condition can be fought through research, just as research has beaten diseases in the past. “We can’t afford for dementia to be anything less than a leading health priority, both in government and in society. “It is the only way to change the lives of people with dementia and their families, and to prevent a future we can’t accept.”