THE NUMBER OF people suffering from dementia is set to treble in Ireland over the next 30 years according to a new report which aims to lay the framework for a new national strategy on the illness.

The report was compiled by researchers at Trinity College, St James’ Hospital and NUIG.

According to the researchers, there are around 41,700 people with dementia in Ireland and around 26,100 of them live at home. There are around 4,000 new cases each year and dementia has a higher incidence rate in Ireland than cancer and heart disease.

The report highlights some issues surrounding the diagnosis of dementia, saying that the majority of those with dementia living at home have not had a formal diagnosis, while the same is true for around two-thirds of long-term care residents with dementia.

Trinity associate professor Suzanne Cahill said that despite progress being made across Europe in the fight against dementia, the illness “remains hidden and largely invisible in Ireland and is a hugely underfunded and under-prioritised health issue in the country”.

Cost

The report estimates that dementia costs €1.69 billion a year overall in Ireland, with almost half of that attributable to the informal care being provided by family and friends of those affected.

Over 40 per cent more of the cost is accounted for by long-term care in residential organisations.

Less than one-tenth of the total cost is covered by health and social care services.

Recommendations

The report recommends increasing public awareness of dementia and putting more emphasis on prevention measures to delay the illness.

It also recommends earlier diagnosis through better access to memory clinic and improving education and training on dementia for care workers and hospital staff.

The researchers say that family support is the “linchpin” to the success of community support for dementia sufferers and that community care services for dementia remain under-developed, inequitable and fragmented.

Part of the problem is that home care services are not supported by legislation.

The report recommends allocating additional public spending to providing better support for families caring for someone with dementia and for improving community care, but acknowledges that finding the resources for this would be very difficult given the current state of Ireland’s public finances.

The study also points out that having dedicated beds for dementia are the exception rather than the rule in Ireish long-stay care facilities.

The report was funded by Atlantic Philanthropies and was launched by Minister for Health James Reilly today at the opening of the conference ‘Developing a National Dementia Strategy’.

Cahill said that research would help the government develop its strategy on dementia:

Although the number of people with dementia is set to rise significantly, having an evidence base available to inform the direction of future public policy on dementia makes it a lot easier to design care services supporting the individual and family members to live well with dementia and to die in dignity with dementia.