Meanwhile, as Babs Army recruits, thousands wait as data shows 13,800 are on waiting lists for dementia related services such as memory clinics.
How big is the dementia problem in the UK?
It’s significant. Every year, around 67,000 people will die from dementia in the UK; the same as a large capacity football stadium.
Furthermore, data suggests one third of people born today will develop dementia in their lifetime. In comparison, for cancer it’s one in two.
While doctors are unable to prevent the dementia tragedies of today, they are working to prevent the tragedies of tomorrow.
Early indications of the disease to look out for include:
- Problems managing behaviour and emotions
- Finding social situations difficult.
- Losing interest in relationships
- Personality changes such as loss of empathy
- Hallucinations.