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16 Headlines D ementia has many causes, and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common. There is currently no cure for dementia, but scientists are working hard to develop diagnostic tools to catch the disease early, along with treatments to improve people’s quality of life. The need has never been greater. The worldwide prevalence of dementia is increasing exponentially. In New Zealand, our population is both growing and getting older – and age is the biggest risk factor for dementia. By 2020, an estimated 70,000 New Zealanders were living with dementia mate wareware. This number is expected to increase by 240% in the next 30 years. Dementia researchers and support organisations are sounding the alarm. They say New Zealand’s health system is already inadequate to support existing dementia patients and their families. “It’s only going to get worse as demand grows,” says Catherine Hall, Chief Executive of Alzheimers New Zealand. “It is a looming public health crisis that is going to put people and their whānau living with dementia mate wareware under increased pressure.” In 2020 Alzheimers New Zealand took action, working with experts from the University of Auckland to prepare a Dementia Economic Impact Report (DEIR) 1 (downloadable from alzheimers.org.nz) . It highlighted New Zealand’s systemic failures in supporting dementia patients and their families, and placed monetary figures on the scale of the problem. The total economic cost of dementia in 2020 was $2.46 billion. That’s forecast to increase to around $6 billion per year by 2050 if nothing changes. The healthcare costs alone associated with dementia are estimated at $274.2 million or $3930 per person with dementia. This does not include the costs of residential care. Care partners of people living with dementia provide nearly 53 million hours of unpaid care, which is valued at $1.19 billion. The productivity cost of people of employment age with dementia leaving the workforce is estimated at $314 million per year. “The report provides further proof, if any was needed, that the Government needs to implement the sector’s Dementia Mate Wareware Action Plan to address the challenge facing us as a nation,” Catherine says. Beyond the fiscal challenges, the report also found: • The system is complex and difficult to navigate, families are overwhelmed, and respite care is limited and inflexible. • Access to services is inequitable, particularly for Māori and Pacific communities, and there is a lack of services for kaumātua based on te ao Māori. DON’T FORGET ABOUT DEMENTIA The cost of underinvestment as cases rise Dementia (referred to in New Zealand as dementia mate wareware) is one of the greatest global health challenges, and research is one of the most powerful tools we have to respond. So what does dementia look like in New Zealand – and why are our researchers worried?