Dementia: The Looming Crisis

DEMENTIA is a health crisis which will cost global economies more than £388bn this year, a new report has warned.

The study by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) warned that things would only get worse.

Some 35.6 million people are living with dementia in 2010 with numbers set to more than treble by 2050.

The report was intended as a “wake up call” to governments whose investment in dementia care is woefully inadequate, according to the ADI.

But it is the human cost of this cruel disease which is truly devastating, as Sister Louise Jenkins from Poole Hospital explained.

She said dementia affects “all aspects of life” for both carer and the individual with the disease.

“It starts with memory loss and becomes worse and worse. It affects all elements of daily living, from the ability to recognise faces and environments, to the ability to function in daily life,” she said.

For those with the condition, going into hospital in particular can be a frightening and disorientating time – something Sister Jenkins is working to alleviate through pioneering project Dignity in Dementia.

With a grant from the Kings Fund and some hospital funding, the aim is to alter the ward environment to help patients orientate themselves.

Research has shown that techniques such as using contrasting colours and installing more natural lighting can help patients work out where they are, and the time of day.

At the moment the £65,000 project is in the design stage, but it should be in place by September next year.

The hospital is also fundraising to help transform the whole ward in the same way.

Sister Jenkins called for raised awareness of dementia, which she said has been “taboo” in the past.

She added: “It hasn’t had the same profile as something like heart disease or cancer but it affects a multitude of people and it is something we need to understand and provide for and support individuals experiencing Alzheimer’s and those family members who want to support them.”

For more information visit http://www.poole.nhs.uk/dignity_in_dementia/

Source of this Article:

Bournemouth Echo (opens a new window)

By Heidi Rees (Bournemouth 2026 Partnership)

Posted: Wednesday 22 September 2010

Permalink: http://www.bournemouth2026.org.uk/dementia-the-looming-crisis

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