Dementia is the term used to describe the symptoms of a large group of illnesses which cause a progressive decline in a person’s functioning.
Dementia is now the 3rd leading cause of death in Australia. A person with dementia will live for an average four to eight years, depending on their age at diagnosis.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, accounts for about 70% of all cases. It is a progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain.
In its early phases, the symptoms can be subtle such as memory loss and vagueness, taking longer to do routine tasks, or losing the point of a conversation. As the disease progresses, the changes will become more dramatic until, in the last stages, the person cannot care for themselves.
The second most common form is vascular dementia, which may be preventable.
Incidence of Dementia
Almost 280,000 Australians have dementia, with the number expected to reach nearly 1 million by 2050.
In Australia today there are 1,600 new cases of dementia every week.
By 2050, there will be over 385,000 new cases of dementia diagnosed every year - this is more than the total number of cases in Australia in 2010.
Between 2000 and 2050, the number of people with dementia in Australia is expected to increase by 327%, while the total population increases by less than 40%.
Who does it affect?
Dementia is not a normal part of ageing. It can happen to anybody, but it is more common after the age of 65 years.
Dementia can also affect younger people; currently more than 16,000 Australians under the age of 65 have younger onset dementia.
Dementia is a major determining factor in precipitating entry to residential care. At least 80% of people in high care facilities and 60% of people in low care facilities have dementia.
Dementia is currently the second largest cause of disability burden after depression. By 2016, dementia will be the largest source of disability burden.
Early warning signs
Following is a list of common concerns about changes in memory and thinking. It is provided as a guide only for discussion with your doctor.
The presence of these changes does not necessarily mean you have, or will develop, Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia.
- Trouble remembering events that have happened recently
- Trouble finding the right words
- Trouble remembering the day or date
- Forgetting where things are usually kept
- Difficulty in adjusting to any changes in my day-to-day routine
- Problems understanding magazine or newspaper articles or following a story in a book or on TV
- Hard to follow and join in conversations, particularly in groups
- Problems handling financial matters, such as banking or calculating change
- Difficulty with other everyday activities such as remembering how long between visits from family or friends or cooking a meal I have always cooked well.
- Losing interesting activities I’d normally enjoy
- Difficulty thinking through problems.
- Family and friends have commented about my poor memory
Caring for people with dementia
Dementia affects the lives of one million Australians who are involved in caring for a family member or friend with dementia.
Caring for a person with dementia is demanding and difficult. As the disease increasingly affects brain function there are strenuous demands on carers.
Economic impact of dementia
In a 2002 report by Access Economics, dementia costs $6.6 billion – $5.6bn in real economic costs and $1bn in transfer costs or 1% of GDP. By mid-century, dementia costs may exceed 3% of GDP, from nearly 1% today.
Direct health costs in 2002: Dementia is the most expensive mental health item in Australia, costing $3.2 billion in 2002, dominated by residential care costs ($2.9 billion). By the end of the decade, these costs will nearly double.
Real indirect costs in 2002: These are dominated by carer costs ($1.7 billion) valued at replacement cost, together with the lost earnings and mortality burden of patients ($364m) and the cost of aids and home modifications ($120m).
Learn more
For more information about caring for someone with dementia, visit www.fightdementia.org.au