Social Care News
As well as posting regular social care news updates on this page, we also provide an RSS feed for all news content posted on this website - click here to subscribe for free and keep up with everything that's going on.
View our news archive »
New campaign highlights six in 10 Alzheimer's cases go undiagnosed
A new UK Government campaign being launched in England will highlight the fact that six out of 10 cases of dementia in elderly people go undiagnosed - because relatives often confuse the normal signs of ageing with symptoms of dementia.
As part of the campaign, which is aimed at encouraging early diagnosis, families are being urged to look out for the warning signs of dementia when they visit their elderly relatives during the coming festive season.
Experts believe Christmas is a time when many people realise family members may have a memory problem. They are now being warned to act on it and seek help sooner rather than later.
The Department of Health advert, part of a £2m TV and national press campaign on the issue, tells the story of a man in the early stages of dementia, and his daughter, who feels she is losing her father.
It highlights the importance of contacting a GP if you or a relative have symptoms like memory loss, confusion and anxiety.
Pilots of the Department of Health initiative suggest it helps people realise that early diagnosis of dementia can lead to better treatment and the slowing down of symptoms.
At the moment, as many as six out of 10 people who develop conditions such as Alzheimer’s go undetected. Only a third of adults over 40 are thought to understand the differences between normal signs of ageing and the onset of dementia.
The overall cost of dementia to society – affecting some 634,030 people in England alone – is put at £23bn a year. It is expected to rise sharply as better medical care, healthier lifestyles and improved living standards mean more and more people survive into old age.
A lot of relatives first notice problems when they visit family members over Christmas, prompting a big increase in calls to the Alzheimer's Society's helpline. In January 2011 it recorded a 43% rise in calls.
Alzheimer's Society chief executive, Jeremy Hughes, said: "It's when you see someone you perhaps haven't seen for a while that you can see the difference.
"If their memory is going, if they're getting confused, if they have sudden mood changes, that's the time to say, 'Maybe you should see your doctor.'."
More than 800,000 people in the UK have dementia - and many are never diagnosed. There is no cure, but with the right treatment, the symptoms can be slowed down.
For help understanding the symptoms of dementia see: www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementia_symptoms
READ MORE: www.telegraph.co.uk/elderhealth/early-dementia-diagnosis
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2058307/Dementia-6-10-Alzheimers-cases-undiagnosed.html#ixzz1d0snncMo
« back to Home Page
Care Compare Wales
Search our database of more than 450 quality care providers by county,
region,
care category
or keyword.
