Global Prevalence of Dementia/Alzheimer's (A Perspective on World Alzheimer Report from 2009)

 

The expected number of individuals living with dementia is expected to triple by 2050

Dementia as a society

When we look at the state of care for dementia around the world, it is easy - from a care provider perspective - to see gaps, holes, and knicks in coverage. However, if one wanders outside of the realm of being a family carer, a caregiver, or healthcare provider, it may be difficult to notice or observe these inadequacies. Education is a key component to the success of dementia care, not only for healthcare providers but for society to remain more educated on dementia. 

For example, when creating senior living facilities, individuals living with dementia are always separated into a different "ward," separated by heavy, and intimidating security doors with codes and cameras watching one's every movement. We should look to assimilate seniors who are living within the same community, to avoid the sad story of couples who are separated based on differing care needs, like a husband in assisted living, while his wife is moved down to memory care because her condition worsened. This separation of spouses causes more harm than it does good. We saw the perseverance of spouses when a woman applied to work as a dishwasher at her husband's facility in order to be able to see him during the COVID-19 lockdown. These devastating stories shed a light on the separation between individuals living with dementia and society. 

Dementia is not always visible

This is important for everyone to know. Whether someone knows another individual living with dementia or not, it is crucial that we understand the cues, signs, and changes. For example, if an individual living with dementia is ordered a Lyft by their daughter to go to a dentist appointment, and the person becomes agitated and belligerent, the driver (if educated on dementia) would know to react differently knowing that this person has dementia, as opposed to a bitter person that doesn't want to go to the dentist. 

At certain times, dementia can be more visible, if an individual is wearing excessive amounts of thick clothing in a hot room, or wearing their shoes on the wrong feet. This makes dementia care education more important because it's not always so easy to distinguish, nor should it be. The current education available for families and other caregivers varies in terms of cost, and in order to become a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) varies from $200 to $2,000 depending on the type of program, and which program the person is enrolling in. Access to education can be a barrier to quality dementia care from family caregivers, and it can also be a knowledge gap for certain healthcare professionals. Not all healthcare professionals are well-versed or knowledgeable in dementia care, know the signs, or know how to care for someone who is experiencing a lapse in memory. 

The impact of dementia

There are many parties affected when someone is diagnosed with dementia. There is the person diagnosed, their caregiver(s), care team, and of course, their family, loved ones, their employer/coworkers if they are still working, and their immediate neighborhood/community. This also means increased cost of care, instead of relocating from home to independent living, they would have to look into memory care housing. According to AJMC, the economic cost of Alzheimer's in 2020 is $305 billion, and it is only expected to increase with age in conjunction with disease progression and stage. 

In addition to the economic and immediate impacts of dementia, there are less popular impacts that need to be mentioned. There is also a cultural impact as well. Certain cultures have embraced dementia care, like the Netherlands, they have piloted the first dementia village program called Hogeweyk, completely staffed with individuals educated on dementia care. The United States has adopted an adult daycare, Town Square franchise model which closely follows this, which is staffed and trained by Senior Helpers' caregivers, an international non-medical in-home care franchise. 

In contrast, certain cultures are not as familiar or welcoming to mental healthcare. For example, in the Chinese and Germanic cultures, dementia-related symptoms are regarded as normal aging. This currently acts as a barrier to care, however, through education, dementia-friendly cafes, group support, encouraging diagnosis, there are fundamental changes that can be made to improve the state of dementia care and diagnosis. 

Closing Notes

Dementia and Alzheimer's are tough subjects to deal with, and through proper vocabulary, and diction, this will help to remove the stigma. For example, "disease burden" is a phrase that can be improved, to "Dementia: areas for improvement." This adapted phrase adds compassion, humility, and leans on positivity, and looking to the future for answers and progress. Through education, societal assimilation and interaction, re-examining stigmas, and approaching people in a different way, society as a whole can embrace dementia and Alzheimer's in a different way in order to improve care. 

Read More from the 2009 World Alzheimer Report