Title : Who cares for the carers
Abstract:
The House of Commons Inequalities in Dementia Care Debate 2024 highlighted that in the whole of the UK, the number of people with dementia is estimated at 850,000 and in England, around 540,000 people care for an individual with dementia. These numbers are replicated around the world. For example, in Australia, estimates in 2023, suggested that there were at least 140,900 informal carers of people with dementia who live in the community. The 2024 USA Alzheimer’s facts and figures found an estimated 6.9 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia. In 2023, 11.5 million family and other caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias provided an estimated 18.4 billion hours of unpaid help.
An Alzheimer’s society survey 2023 found that 1 in 10 provide unpaid care and 80% of unpaid carers are taking on the majority of caring responsibilities for loved ones living with dementia. In the UK an Admiral Nurse survey in 2023, found that carers needed help and support with a variety of issues that included coordinating care, communicating with the variety of different specialists and support networks plus accessing information to help them understand the condition.
Carers are people in their own right, with their own physical and emotional needs, and with their own obligations. It is important to ensure that carers supporting someone living with dementia can continue to live their own lives as fully as possible. Whilst there are a variety of organizations that provide support for carers in the UK, this presentation will specifically discuss 2 interventions – one professional, non pharmacological intervention and a low cost community, non pharmacological intervention that support carers and people living with dementia in the UK. These interventions are recommended to the delegates as being new and adaptable to other countries carers needs.
