Dementia has been described as a ticking timebomb that could affect more than a million people in the UK by 2025.
There are already 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. This figure could rise to more than one million by 2025 and to more than two million by 2050.
An estimated 21 million people in England have a close friend or family member living with dementia. So directly or indirectly, it will soon affect every one of us.
Perhaps that’s why dementia is now considered the most feared health condition for people over the age of 55; more than any other major disease, including cancer.
As well as the health and social costs of dementia, there is growing concern about the economic costs, particularly at a time of tightening budgets.
Alzheimer’s Society estimates that the annual cost of dementia to society in the UK is £26.3bn. This corresponds to an average cost per person of £32,250 annually. This is made of a cost of £5,300 in healthcare and £12,500 in social care costs.
The latest edition of Public Health England’s Health Matters, a resource which brings together evidence of effective – and cost-effective – interventions to tackle major public health problems, focuses on midlife approaches to reduce dementia risk.
We must change our mindset and move away from thinking that dementia is simply an inevitable part of ageing.
This resource for health professionals and local authorities makes the case for action in midlife to promote healthy lifestyles that can reduce the risk of dementia. We know that people are more likely to live well in their older years if they live healthily in earlier life, particularly during midlife.
It follows the launch of PHE’s new One You campaign, which is the first campaign to focus on the health of adults. One You aims to encourage adults, particular those in middle age, to take control of their health to enjoy significant benefits now, and in later life.
There is now enough evidence to justify considered action on dementia risk reduction in much the same way as we have been addressing heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
It is now believed that what’s good for the heart is also good for the brain.
Modifying cardiovascular risk factors have contributed to a large decline in deaths from heart disease and stroke over the past 50 years.
The same could be the case for dementia. Studies suggest that up to a third of dementia cases may be attributable to potentially modifiable lifestyle risk factors.
This edition of Health Matters outlines the actions that can help to lower their risk of dementia such as:
• stopping smoking
• becoming more active
• reducing excessive alcohol consumption
• improving diet
• losing weight if necessary
People have a real opportunity to manage their health better by attending the NHS Health Check. This is for adults in England aged 40 to 74 and is an ideal opportunity for GPs, pharmacists and nurses to offer advice to promote a healthier lifestyle.
The NHS Health Check presents an opportunity to take regular measurements of cholesterol levels, blood glucose, and blood pressure, issues that could lead to or enhance the risk of dementia. In particular the risks are heightened for people with diabetes or pre-diabetes, so ensuring they take advantage of these free health checks is significant.
There is a big role to play in promoting dementia risk reduction for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and local authorities and this is outlined in Health Matters.
Using PHE’s dementia profile tool, for example, can help CCGs and local authorities identify local risk factors for dementia such as smoking prevalence, physical inactivity, excess weight and alcohol-related hospital admissions. This will help to prioritise efforts to reduce such risk factors.
Read the dementia edition of Health Matters for more advice on ways to lower the risk of dementia, as well as ways to keep your brain active and challenged throughout life to help protect against dementia.
Visit the Health Matters collection page to view previous editions and to sign up to the e-bulletin.
Content on this page is produced and paid for by Skills for Health
