World Alzheimer’s Day Tuesday, September 21, 2010 - 12:42

Dementia costs the world 1% of GDP - almost £400bn - according to figures released on World Alzheimer's Day, Tuesday 21 September 2010. In the UK there are 750,000 people living with dementia - set to reach a million by 2025 - costing our health and social care economy more than cancer, heart disease and stroke combined.

Research submitted to the independent Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning - sponsored by NIACE - suggests that older people who take part in learning may be less likely to develop dementia. The Inquiry's final report - Learning Through Life - drew on a number of studies that have demonstrated that training people in the early stages of dementia can help them develop strategies to overcome their difficulties.

Dr. Fiona Aldridge, Head of Research at NIACE, said:

"Until recently people with dementia were diagnosed when their symptoms were well developed and it was assumed that nothing could be done for them. We need to start thinking of services that use appropriate learning to support people managing their dementia symptoms as long as possible rather than just containing them."

The resources devoted to researching later life learning are extraordinarily limited...We need solid research to investigate and establish whether dementia may be delayed through keeping the brain active."

Dr. Fiona Aldridge, Head of Research at NIACE

"The resources devoted to researching later life learning are extraordinarily limited, given the potential implications for the effectiveness of learning interventions for people with dementia. We need solid research to investigate and establish whether dementia may be delayed through keeping the brain active."

Additional evidence submitted to the Inquiry by the Alzheimer's Society, suggests that educational achievement can be a factor in slowing the development of dementia. People with a higher level of educational achievement experience onset of dementia later than people with lower educational achievements, however, once diagnosed, dementia progresses much faster in people with higher educational achievement.

Dr. Fiona Aldridge continued:

"The knowledge that dementia progresses faster in people with higher education achievement, has lead clinicians and psychologists to talk about people with higher education having a bigger cognitive reserve. This group of people probably develop dementia in the same way as people with lower educational achievement, but it means that people with a bigger cognitive reserve can mask the symptoms of their developing dementia for a while. However, when they cannot cover up the symptoms any more, their symptoms of dementia may be further developed and therefore it may seem that they progress faster."