IT can take a while for government strategy to catch up with the statistics, but there is no excuse for further delay on the issue of Scotland’s ageing population.
As part of the Grey Matters series, The Herald has been reporting on the latest research which shows that the number of over-85s is expected to increase by 110 per cent by 2034, meaning more of the problems associated with ageing, including heart disease and dementia. In 2014, around 16,000 people were diagnosed with dementia, but by 2020, the total is expected to be much nearer 20,000. There can be no doubt about the scale of the problem we are facing.
One way to help is to improve community and social care and, if possible, keep people out of hospital, where they can sometimes become more confused, frailer and more likely to end up in care. The Scottish Government is working towards this aim with the establishment of health and social care partnerships, which aim to improve community health.
However, there is another important step the Government could be taking, which is to do much more to identify those who have early onset dementia. Often, by the time a patient has a diagnosis, it is already too late to prescribe the drugs that can slow declines in cognitive ability so early intervention is critical. Catching dementia early can mean a better quality of life for longer.
One idea being suggested by the clinical neuropsychologist Barbara Sahakian is a regular dementia check-up - and the good news is they do not need to be complicated. Indeed, a 10-minute test on an iPad can be all that is needed to identify if there is cognitive deterioration.
Naturally, dementia check-ups will cost money, but there will also be savings – catching dementia early means the patient gets access to the necessary drugs in time; it can also delay them going into expensive institutionalised care.
And as well as saving money, the establishment of regular dementia check-ups would put an important principle right at the heart of the health service: the health of our brains is just as important as the health of our bodies.
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