Dementia - the health challenge of a generation

The chances are that we know someone with dementia. In the UK the Alzheimer’s Society has revealed that more than half of the public (52%) know someone who has been diagnosed with a form of dementia. That person may be a relative, a friend, a colleague or more probably a patient. Until you are affected, you don’t realise the scale of the problem. Worldwide, there are 50 million cases. Every 4 seconds, the time it takes to blink or to breathe in and out, another person, somewhere in the world will be diagnosed with a dementia. Because of the prevalence, dementia is being increasingly recognised as a priority for health and social care … and for research. The World Health Organisation has described dementia as “one of the major health challenges of a generation”. Despite this landscape, it’s only recently that we have been talking openly about dementia. Up until, say ten years ago, it was very much a taboo subject. Negative thoughts about dementia have made it the most feared medical condition of people aged 40 and over. Opticians have a key role to play in people living well with their dementia. Maintaining good vision (and good hearing) has been shown to help dementia patients to stay connected with the world around them and stay stimulated for longer. This presentation will help demystify the condition and provide professionals in practice with advice for providing a better experience for patients.