Number of dementia sufferers rises

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LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) The number of people suffering from dementia in Britain is forecast to grow 38 percent over the next 15 years, incurring huge costs, according to a report.

The Alzheimer's Society believes the government is not making provision for what will become a major health issue as people live longer.

At present almost 700,000 people in Britain have dementia 1.1 per cent of the population at an estimated cost of some 17 billion pounds a year in care and accommodation costs.

According to research for the society by the London School of Economics and the Institute of Psychiatry, the number of patients is forecast to grow to over 940,000 by 2021 and to 1.73 million by 2051.

Most of the cost of caring for them currently falls on the sufferers themselves or their families, since most live at home.

Dementia can affect people of any age but is most common in older people. One in five people over 80 and one in 20 people over 65 have a form of dementia.

Symptoms typically include loss of memory like forgetting names of people and places, mood changes and communication problems.

The most common type is Alzheimer's disease, which changes the chemistry of the brain, causing brain cells to die.

''As a nation we are singularly failing to address a very major health and social care issue that is already costing the country a very large amount of money,'' said Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society. ''We are far from convinced that the way that money is spent is effective.

In its report, the society urged the government to make dementia a national priority and increase funding for research.

It recommended a national debate should be held on who should pay for the ever-increasing cost of care.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said in a statement: ''We've already doubled the research that we're doing on Alzheimer's and just last week, we announced a new investment, for instance, in emergency respite care for carers of people with dementia, which is one of the things that carers particularly told us was their top priority.''