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Hundreds of older Britons will be checked for dementia through a new pilot program in 2023

bynewsdesk
December 26, 2022

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Hundreds more people will be checked dementia As part of a new specialty service being piloted across the country, the NHS announced.

Care home residents will be proactively assessed by specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals in 14 new pilot programs rolling out in the new year.

There has been a significant decrease in dementia diagnosis rates during the pandemic, raising concerns that more people are living with the disease without access to proper support and advice.

But experts say the new trial will help reduce the number of missed cases.

There are several diseases that cause dementia, which is classified as the impaired ability to remember, think or make decisions that interferes with daily activities (file photo)

There are several diseases that cause dementia, which is classified as the impaired ability to remember, think or make decisions that interferes with daily activities (file photo)

As part of local dementia campaigns, GPs will share a list of care home residents without a dementia diagnosis.

What is dementia?

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a category of symptoms marked by behavioral changes and progressive decline in cognitive and social abilities.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, but other dementia conditions include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal buildup of proteins in and around brain cells.

According to Alzheimer’s Research UK forecasts, one million people in the country will have dementia by 2025, and that will double to two million by 2050.

Staff involved in the pilot will check with the nursing home if those listed have memory problems and residents will be offered a full face-to-face assessment.

They will then review a resident’s medication use and talk to friends and family to determine if they have dementia.

Two pilots will launch in each of England’s seven regions from January, following a £900,000 investment from NHS England.

A successful trial in Norfolk saw 100 care home residents undergo face-to-face assessments, and 95 people were diagnosed with dementia.

A family member of one of the residents who was diagnosed following the trial said it “gave him peace of mind”.

Professor Alistair Burns, NHS England’s national clinical director for dementia, said: ‘The pandemic has naturally had an impact on the number of people being diagnosed with dementia, with older people seeing fewer people to protect themselves from Covid-19 .

“The NHS is committed to ensuring that those who have developed dementia during the pandemic receive a diagnosis, as this will open doors to further support for people and their families who suffer from this heartbreaking disease.

“There is a lot we can do in the NHS to care for and support people if they are diagnosed, and importantly there is also support for their families and carers.

There are different diseases that can cause dementia. Many are associated with an abnormal buildup of protein in the brain. This buildup causes nerve cells to function less well and eventually die (stock image)

There are different diseases that can cause dementia. Many are associated with an abnormal buildup of protein in the brain. This buildup causes nerve cells to function less well and eventually die (stock image)

Higher blood pressure at night ‘may increase Alzheimer’s risk’

Men who have higher blood pressure at night than during the day are 1.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia, according to a 2021 study.

The researchers followed a sample of Swedish men in their 60s with higher blood pressure at night than during the day – known as ‘reverse dipping’.

They were compared to men of the same age who had higher blood pressure during the day than at night, which is considered normal.

After following both groups of men for symptoms of dementia, they found that reverse dipping primarily increased the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, as well as dementia as a whole.

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“So if you have noticed over the festive period that someone is showing symptoms, please encourage them to see their GP for an assessment – ​​the sooner someone is seen the sooner the NHS can support them .”

The latest NHS figures show 451,992 people in England have been diagnosed with dementia, up 2.8% from last year.

Referrals to memory services are now back to pre-pandemic levels with 301,218 in 2021/22, the data shows.

Mark MacDonald, associate director of advocacy and system change at the Alzheimer Society, said: ‘Diagnosis of dementia is crucial to unlocking the right care and support, so we are delighted that NHS England is prioritizing diagnosis people in care homes thanks to this initiative.

“Knowing that someone has dementia can transform their care, ensuring they get the right kind of support and that families and carers get the information and advice they need after too. a diagnosis.

“We know that the vast majority of those who have been diagnosed with dementia see it as a positive step, although it can often be life-changing. If successful, we want to see this pilot project rolled out across England as soon as possible, along with a focus on improving dementia diagnosis for everyone, both in and out of nursing homes. care.

Mental health nurse Laura Hudson, 45, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, has had her mother Pam, an 80-year-old former nurse, diagnosed with dementia thanks to the pilot.

She said: ‘She was a general nurse for 20 years, but people who knew her then wouldn’t recognize her now.

She wouldn’t eat if you didn’t feed her. She wouldn’t drink unless you forced her.

“I am so relieved and delighted that she has been diagnosed with dementia because it means people realize that they have to dig a little deeper with her. If you ask her if she’s okay, she’ll say she’s okay, but sometimes you have to ask a little more than that to get to the bottom of it.

“She is receiving good care where she is, but the diagnosis gives me peace of mind that if she needs to go to hospital, she will be treated appropriately there.”

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ELDERLY PEOPLE IN POLLUTED AREAS ‘MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE’

Older people living in polluted areas are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, warns a new study from JAMA Neurology.

The researchers looked at the PET (positron emission tomography) scans of more than 18,000 elderly people in the United States with dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

They then plotted their postcodes and determined air pollution levels in each neighborhood based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency, which measures ground-level ozone and particulate pollution in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, called PM2.5.

PET scans of older people living in the most polluted areas were 10% more likely to show amyloid plaques – tough proteins that clump together between nerve cells, the researchers found.

Although not all types of dementia are associated with these plaques, they are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

First author Dr Leonardo Iaccarino said: “Exposure in our daily lives to PM2.5, even at levels that would be considered normal, could contribute to inducing a chronic inflammatory response.

“Over time, this could impact brain health in several ways, including contributing to a buildup of amyloid plaques.”

The more pollutants in the air, the more likely people are to have a CT scan with amyloid plaques, the researchers found.

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