According to a new report, the cost of handling dementia amounts to one percent of global GDP, or $388 billion a year, when you factor in the real costs involved, including the large amount of unpaid family care provided. And the scary thing is, that cost appears set to rise, as we humans live longer.
The World Alzheimer's Report 2010, assembled by researchers in Stockholm and London, reckons around 35.6 million people worldwide currently suffer from dementia. Worse still, that figure will almost double by 2030.
In the same week the report was launched, researchers at Oxford University also revealed promising results from trials suggesting that vitamin B may have a role to play in slowing or halting the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The168 people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who were treated with a cocktail of vitamin B based supplements, showed a 53 per cent reduction in brain shrinkage normally associated with dementia. So significant were the results, they promise to change the whole direction of Alzheimer's research. But, while that may be a crumb of hope for the future, here in the UK, we currently have 750,000 people living with dementia – all of whom need varying degrees of help, support and care. And the human cost of providing that care, often unpaid, can be substantial. Author Andrea Gillies wrote about the experience of looking after her mother in law Nancy in her book, Keeper, detailing the impact on her whole family. She admits that their plans to move into a larger, family house was unsu cessful, as Nancy became less and less able to cope sharing a home with relatives who she came to know only as strangers, as her dementia advanced.
Real challenges come as a dementia sufferer starts to lose their memory, followed by their speech and faculties. In many cases, family members find themselves in a strange type of bereavement, coping with the loss of the personality of their relative, while still physically caring for them. And those carers often need a break themselves, particularly if looking after a relative with the more advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease; requiring the provision of suitable care homes and professionally qualified carers who understand the issues involved.
Mumbys is the trading name of Homecare Support Ltd (Registered Company No. 04542260 England), which is a family owned business run by Ann Mumby RN - a Registered Nurse with 20 years experience of running a nursing and care agency.
We are based near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, serving clients in Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herts, Northants, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and London.
We are registered with the Care Quality Commission and have a Three Star rating. We are also an Approved Provider to Oxfordshire County Council.
We specialise in providing live-in care for the elderly, especially those suffering dementia and Alzheimer's. We also help adults with physical and mental disabilities.
We offer a live-in services on a short or long term basis. It could be while your family or live-in carer is away or to recuperate after hospitalisation in your own home.
Our trained staff will be on call whenever you need them. We have specialist carers that can provide care to high dependency clients.
Live in carers normally work 10 and 12 hours each working day. The carer will expect a reasonable amount of sleep and a two hour break during the day.
We assume all employment responsibilities relating to remuneration, tax and national insurance deductions.
If you wish to talk to us regarding care for yourself or a loved one, please do not hesitate to call us 01865 391187. The office is open 9-5 Mon-Fri with emergency on-call service out of hours.
