Category Archives: Dementia

Dementia prescriptions jump 46% in a decade as Australia urged to prepare for ‘full impact’ of disease

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Neuroscientist says rapidly ageing population puts country at forefront of a health crisis

The number of dementia medication prescriptions has jumped by almost 50% in Australia in the past decade as more people seek out therapies that may slow the progression of the disease.

The latest report on dementia from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, released on Friday, revealed that health services for managing dementia have increased to accommodate 411,100 people.

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Cost of England’s four biggest killer diseases could hit £86bn by 2050

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Study predicts overall economic cost of cancer, heart disease, dementia and stroke will rise by 61%

The cost of England’s four biggest killer diseases could rise to £86bn a year by 2050, prompting calls for a crackdown on alcohol, junk food and smoking.

The ageing population means the annual cost of cancer, heart disease, dementia and stroke combined will go from the £51.9bn recorded in 2018 to £85.6bn in 2050 – a rise of 61%.

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Record numbers of people in England given dementia diagnosis in past year

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NHS data also shows diagnosis rate misses target and remains below pre-pandemic levels

Record numbers of people in England have received a dementia diagnosis in the past year, NHS figures show.

The latest data shows a record 487,432 people had a diagnosis in June. However, the rate remains below pre-pandemic levels, with 65% of people estimated to have the condition diagnosed, below the NHS’s 66.7% target, which was last met in 2019.

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Up to 100,000 may have undiagnosed forms of dementia in England

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NHS figures show underdiagnosis of Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementias

Up to 100,000 people in England may be living with undiagnosed forms of dementia that present with symptoms such as depression and hallucinations, according to government figures.

Dementia is an umbrella term for many different conditions, affecting more than 55 million people worldwide. In England, about 7,000 people are diagnosed every month. While the health service has made progress in headline diagnosis rates, latest figures show that underdiagnosis of specific dementias remain a problem.

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Australia’s health watchdog warns patients are being overprescribed psychotropic medication

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Royal commissions into disability and aged care found ‘a fundamental problem’ with how the drugs were used

Glenda Parkin was 56 when she was diagnosed with younger-onset dementia, a rare visual variant of Alzheimer’s disease known as posterior cortical atrophy. She became functionally blind and her ability to perceive the world around her gradually deteriorated.

While the diagnosis forced Parkin to retire at the zenith of her career as a school principal in Perth, losing her abilities to read and write alongside other basic capabilities, she carried on a fulfilling life, according to her husband, Bronte, her carer for 10 years.

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UK government dementia adviser resigns over prosecutions of carers

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Johnny Timpson says he wants to ‘take a stand’ after revelations thousands of unpaid carers are being forced to pay huge fines

One of Rishi Sunak’s dementia advisers has resigned over the government’s approach towards unpaid carers, describing the prosecutions of vulnerable people as “beyond the pale”.

Johnny Timpson, who advised No 10 on its dementia strategy, said he wanted to “take a stand” after the Guardian revealed that tens of thousands of unpaid carers were being fined huge sums and in some cases prosecuted for minor infringements of earnings rules.

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One in five Australians wrongly believe dementia is ‘normal part of the ageing process’, survey shows

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Few Australians know dementia risk can be avoided despite prevalence of condition, first-of-its-kind survey shows

Dementia is the leading cause of premature death in older Australians, but fewer than one in three people are confident they know how to reduce their risk of it, a first-of-its-kind survey has shown.

The Dementia Awareness Survey released Wednesday by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) is the largest nationally representative survey of its kind measuring knowledge of dementia risk factors and common misconceptions.

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Mentally stimulating work plays key role in staving off dementia, study finds

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People in routine and repetitive jobs found to have 31% greater risk of disease in later life, and 66% higher risk of mild cognitive problems

If work is a constant flurry of mind-straining challenges, bursts of creativity and delicate negotiations to keep the troops happy, consider yourself lucky.

Researchers have found that the more people use their brains at work, the better they seem to be protected against thinking and memory problems that come with older age.

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Hundreds of thousands face being denied revolutionary new dementia drugs in England

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Exclusive: Treatments near approval but lack of diagnostic capacity means NHS unprepared for rollout, report says

Hundreds of thousands of dementia patients in England face being denied access to revolutionary new drugs because the diagnostic capacity of the NHS lags behind every other G7 country, according to a damning report.

After decades of research to find a cure for the condition projected to affect 153 million people worldwide by 2050, scientists have successfully developed the first treatments to tackle the underlying causes rather than only relieve the symptoms. Two new drugs could get the green light for use on the NHS within weeks.

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Playing a musical instrument or singing is linked to better memory in older age

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Piano especially associated with improved mental processes in those over 40, Exeter University research finds

Playing a musical instrument or joining a choir is linked to better memory and thinking skills in older age, research has found.

The piano was especially associated with a better brain in those over 40 in the study from Exeter University, which reviewed data from more than a thousand adults and looked at how much experience the people had in participating in music.

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Simple blood tests for dementia to be trialled in NHS

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£5m project launched with aim of having reliable tests within five years to provide quick diagnosis

Scientists are to begin piloting simple blood tests for dementia that could revolutionise detection of the disease and within five years lead to people being diagnosed in seconds by the NHS.

Currently, getting a formal diagnosis in the UK relies on mental ability tests, brain scans or invasive and painful lumbar punctures, where a sample of cerebrospinal fluid is drawn from the lower back.

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Dementia could affect 1.7m people in England and Wales by 2040, data finds

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Figure is 42% higher than previous estimates and would pose ‘enormous threat’ to healthcare systems

Dementia poses an “enormous threat” to healthcare systems and the general public in England and Wales, experts have warned, as data suggests 1.7 million people will have the condition by 2040.

It is already known to be among the most serious health and social care threats and a new analysis shows the total number affected could be 42% higher than previously estimated.

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Dementia risk factors pose more danger for ethnic minorities, finds study

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Conditions such as diabetes and obesity are said to magnify risk of south Asian and black people developing the disease

The most common risk factors for dementia appear to have a more pronounced effect in black and Asian people, a study suggests, prompting calls for greater efforts to tackle health inequalities.

The number of adults living with dementia worldwide is on course to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050. Experts say the disease presents a major and rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems in every community, country and continent.

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‘Hard to know’ if Bruce Willis is aware of dementia condition, wife says

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Emma Heming Willis says she has been ‘care partner’ to husband, 68, after actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration

Six months after Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, it is “hard to know” whether the actor, known for roles in Die Hard and Pulp Fiction, is aware of the extent to which his condition has worsened, his wife has revealed in a new interview.

Emma Heming Willis also told Today’s Hoda Kotb in an interview broadcast on Monday that she has been a “care partner” to her husband since the moment of the diagnosis.

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‘It’s almost magical’: how robotic pets are helping care home residents

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Animatronic cats that purr and dogs that wag their tails have helped staff at Oak Manor care home in Bedfordshire to avoid medicating some residents with dementia

“You’re bloody lovely ain’t you,” said Frances Barrett, as the robotic cat she was stroking flicked its ears and whiskers one lunchtime this week at the Oak Manor care home in Bedfordshire.

The resident was one of several who live with dementia playing with the home’s small menagerie of animatronic animals that were originally designed to entertain American girls aged four to eight but have found a fast growing market in British care homes.

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Senator says treaty ‘the only way forward’ – as it happened

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This blog is now closed.

Julian Leeser, the former shadow minister for Indigenous affairs and yes campaigner, has reassured ABC Radio that the voice to parliament is a “safe change” with cross-party support as the referendum draws nearer.

“Right from the beginning of my participation in this debate, I’ve called for a higher standard of debate and I’ve said that we should focus on issues of people,” he said.

I was proud to put my signature to the yes case. The yes case provides a positive reason for voting … It speaks to the practical results from change. It explains why recognition makes a difference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. But it’s a safe change. It’s a change supported by people from all sides of politics.

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Only 12 of 35 dementia units promised by 2023 Australia-wide are operational, health department says

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Exclusive: spokesperson says six units more will open by the end of 2024 but declines questions about cause of delay

Just 12 of a promised 35 specialist dementia units the government committed to have running by 2023 are operational, a health department spokesman has said.

To respond to a growing number of people with dementia and suffering from severe behavioural and psychological symptoms, the federal government in 2016 announced the Specialist Dementia Care Program [SDCP].

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Sydney dementia patient ‘didn’t sleep for months’ after police called to subdue her, family say

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Calls for reform grow with daughter of patient saying families should be notified when police are deployed to aged care homes

A family who say they were not told when police were deployed to help control their 79-year-old mother in a Sydney dementia unit are calling for a change to make it mandatory for family to be notified about the use of law enforcement.

On 4 June 2020, paramedics attempted to subdue an agitated Norma Robertson, who had only been in the care of the dementia unit at HammondCare in a Sydney suburb for about four weeks.

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Clare Nowland: aged care resident Tasered by police remains in ‘heavy sleep’ amid end-of-life care

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Woman, 95, is surrounded by family and still in critical condition as calls grow for broader investigation of police treatment of dementia sufferers

Clare Nowland, the aged care resident who was Tasered by a police officer in Cooma last week, remains in a “heavy sleep” and is comfortable, surrounded by her family, who held a bedside mass for her on Sunday as she continues to receive end-of-life care.

Calls grew on Monday for a broader independent investigation of police treatment of dementia sufferers after revelations in the Guardian that six officers handcuffed a second nursing home resident, Rachel Grahame, in 2020 after she took a staff member’s lanyard.

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NSW police footage shows officers used two sets of handcuffs on 81-year-old woman with dementia

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Exclusive: footage from body-worn camera shows police restraining confused dementia patient Rachel Grahame in 2020

Six police officers used two sets of handcuffs on a distressed and frail 81-year-old woman with dementia after she took a lanyard from a staff member at her Sydney nursing home.

Body-worn camera footage shows Rachel Grahame, who has advanced dementia and weighs just 45kg, howling in distress as a team of police surround and handcuff her late at night at St Basil’s aged care home in Randwick on 31 October 2020.

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