Dementia cases expected to rise by one third

THE Government is launching a major awareness campaign to spot the early signs of dementia amid predictions the number of sufferers in Yorkshire will rise by a third in the next decade.

Research published today by the Department of Health has revealed a worrying trend among the relatives of dementia sufferers to ignore the early signs of the brain condition.

While there is no cure, early diagnosis can ensure patients are able to access vital support from the NHS to help prolong their lives and control the onset of dementia.

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A pilot project which was staged in the region in March this year is now being rolled out nationally in a £2m publicity drive which will include television, radio and newspaper advertisements in the run-up to Christmas.

It is hoped that the campaign will help to ensure relatives spot signs of dementia during family get-togethers at Christmas.

In North Yorkshire alone, it is estimated that almost 11,500 people are living with dementia, with 60 per cent of cases going undiagnosed. That figure is expected to rise by 39 per cent to nearly 16,000 sufferers by 2021.

Yorkshire faces an increase in the number of dementia sufferers from 62,783 to 83,017 in the same period – a rise of 32 per cent.

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Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said: “People are afraid of dementia and rather than face the possibility someone they love has the condition, they can wrongly put memory problems down to ‘senior moments’.

“But if you are worried, the sooner you discuss it and help the person seek support the better. Don’t wait until a crisis.

“Being diagnosed with dementia won’t make the condition worse, but leaving it untreated will. We can’t cure dementia, but we can help you keep the person you love for longer through vital support the NHS can offer.”

The awareness campaign trialled in the Yorkshire region earlier this year has been heralded a success in highlighting the need to deal with the onset of dementia.

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People who were made aware of the campaign confirmed they would be far more likely to seek advice from their GPs. They also believed that an early diagnosis would help to slow the symptoms of dementia.

However, more than half of people questioned in the Yorkshire region admitted that they would feel awkward raising the issue of dementia for fear of upsetting their relative.

The Alzheimer’s Society has been a key partner in working with Government on the campaign. The charity received about 1,870 calls in January this year – almost double the number received in December 2010.

The Yorkshire and Humber area manager, Nicki Dyson, said: “As the number of people with dementia increases, it is vital we all take time to understand and talk about the condition. People with dementia and their families have told us that a diagnosis opened the door to support, treatment and information they wouldn’t otherwise have had access to and helped them plan for the future.

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“This campaign has the potential to make a huge difference,” Mr Dyson said.

The term dementia describes a range of disorders that trigger a loss of brain function, and the conditions are all usually progressive and eventually severe.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting 62 per cent of those diagnosed.

There are 650,000 people in England with dementia, which costs the UK more than £17bn each year in care costs and hospital admissions. By 2025, there are expected to be more than a million people in the UK living with dementia.

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There are more than 16,000 dementia sufferers aged under 65 in the UK and while it is a terminal condition, sufferers can live for somewhere between seven and 12 years after diagnosis.

‘We simply could not face up to it’

KAREN Weech admits she could not come to terms with her mother’s dementia.

Her family was aware for six years that Pauline Weech was displaying symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease before she was eventually diagnosed.

Miss Weech said she and her three sisters were in denial about the condition.

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The 41-year-old marketing consultant, who grew up in Scarborough where her mother, 67, is now in a care home, said Mrs Weech was displaying symptoms while still in her mid-50s.

Miss Weech, who now lives in Newcastle, said: “We all knew something was wrong, but we simply couldn’t face up to it.

“But the key message I want to get across is for people to face up to what is happening. It might be really painful to come to terms with, but to carry on without a diagnosis is much, much worse.

“We have had so much support from the Alzheimer’s Society since we found out for sure, and that has helped us all cope with what has happened.”