115 million people with dementia worldwide by 2050

London / Berlin - 36 million people worldwide currently suffer from dementia. In 2030 it will be 66 million and in 2050 around 115 million. The organization reported in its published on today's World Alzheimer's Day. According to this, the care of dementia patients worldwide cost around 604 billion US dollars in 2010. It is likely that the costs of the diseases will rise in the coming years with the number of diseases. "Our health and financial systems are not prepared for such an epidemic," writes Marc Wortmann, Executive Director of Alzheimer's Disease International in his foreword to the report.

This year this focuses on the issues associated with dementia Stigma and concepts to overcome this. Lack of information and prejudice then contribute to isolating dementia patients and their carers. For example, many people said that dementia sufferers no longer had the opportunity to be happy or to participate in life in positive way.

The opposite is true, however : People with dementia and their relatives benefited from cultivating social contacts and participating in social life on as many opportunities as possible. It is also important to involve people with dementia as long as possible in the decisions that affect them, in order to maintain their dignity and enable them to lead self-determined life, says the World Alzheimer Report 2012.

This is also the case concern of the (BÄK). “It must be our goal to help dementia sufferers to live as long as possible independently in society. In addition to the inpatient facilities, outpatient care, semi-inpatient offers and assisted living groups should therefore be more strongly promoted and expanded close to home, ”said its President Frank Ulrich Montgomery.

An important step is the“ Alliance for People with dementia ”, in which the BÄK is also involved. The aim of the alliance is to further develop help and support for those affected as well as to promote understanding and sensitivity for dementias in order to counteract social exclusion. At the same time, help networks are to be created in the living environment of those affected, which as local alliances enable more social participation and support.

In addition to drug therapy, advising and guiding patients and their families is of central importance. Montgomery criticized the fact that dementia sufferers and their relatives often fell into social isolation. “Dementia continues to bear stigma in our society. We must now address the challenges we face in long life society. This also means that we give the highest recognition to those who do the hard work in the care of old people and demented people, ”emphasized the BÄK President.

More than every second German is afraid of dementia. 55.1 percent fear such disease and the associated loss of the ability to think, as survey published today on behalf of the pharmacy magazine Senioren Ratgeber showed.

According to the BÄK, 1.2 million people in Germany are currently dependent on help because of dementia. Due to the increased life expectancy, around one in four Germans will develop symptoms of dementia in the course of their life.