Tag Archives: dementia
Hard hitting report calls for earlier diagnosis of dementia and faster ‘co-ordinated care’
Obtaining a diagnosis of dementia can bring a whole range of benefits to patients and their carers, according to a new report.
Date of article: 19-Nov-13
The ‘Benefits of Timely Dementia Diagnosis’, due to be published at the annual conference of the Dementia Action Alliance, found diagnosis can reduce anxiety, help people plan for the future, allow them to access local support and give them the tools they need to explain their condition to friends and family.
“In the past the value of dementia diagnosis has too often been measured in terms of what medication a GP can give a patient,” said Simon Kitchen, executive lead of the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA).
“Realising that diagnosis can bring many emotional benefits and put people back in control of their lives changes the terms of the argument and may help to push up timely diagnosis rates, which are still unacceptably low.”
The issue of whether it is beneficial for someone with dementia to have an early diagnosis, has long been a subject of debate, with some saying not to diagnose protects the person with dementia from ‘harm or unnecessary stress’.
Other opponents to early diagnosis say if little can be done in terms of effective medical treatment, there’s little point in diagnosing dementia.
However this report shows there are a whole raft of benefits to diagnosis which ‘directly counters’ these arguments.
The report reveals that ‘access to medication stands out as the single most important benefit’ however it ‘appears less important than the ability to plan, to access services and to adjust emotionally and psychologically’.
Five million carers do not have ‘control’ over their lives
Three quarters of carers in Britain say they are losing “control” of their lives, major study shows
NHS research found that growing numbers of carers are having to put their own lives on hold to support disabled or elderly loved-ones.
The study showed that more than half of those with caring responsibilities are struggling with disabilities or illnesses of their own – in many cases for decades on end.
The recent national census showed that 10 per cent of the entire population of the UK – or 6.5 million people – provide regular unpaid care to someone else, with over a third of them dedicating more than 20 hours a week.
But a survey of 58,000 carers in England by the Government’s Health and Social Care Information Centre showed that for all but a handful it is now having a major impact on their own lives, careers and even health.
