Professor of Dementia and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of University of Nottingham, Sube Banerjee MBE, shared what day to day life can be like for someone with a dementia diagnosis and those close to them. He highlighted four key areas.
The first was Cognition including a person’s memory and ability to speak and think. Activities of daily living was the second, essentially the extent to which a person is able to go about their day as they wish or need to without intervention or assistance from others. The third and significant element discussed was Social function. People living with dementia may not want to socialise or feel able to and this can have a negative impact on their overall wellbeing. Finally, Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) which are all the other symptoms including things like agitation, depression, sleep disturbances, wandering and delusions.
Collectively, cognition, activities of daily living, social function and BPSD will impact quality of life and every person living with dementia will feel differently about what’s most important to them in order to live well with their diagnosis. The link between symptoms and quality of life is not simple or predictable.
Professor Martin Prince, Professor of Epidemiological Psychiatry at King’s College London and King’s Global Health Institute gave perspectives on quality of life in dementia from lower and middle income countries. He explained that being dependent on someone else for support with daily living was associated with a lower quality of life but that depression and loneliness had the biggest affect on quality of life.
So, whilst there is still a way to go until we have approved and affordable treatments that not only slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease but potentially halt or even cure it, we need to focus on changing the way we think about ageing and older people. This includes every part of society helping to create an age friendly environment. Whilst new and future treatments might help to an extent, they can’t and won’t do all the heavy lifting. For now, quality of life and support for carers is perhaps the best health goal.
Further support for living well with dementia
Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition.
Advice from Age UK on Living well with dementia
Activities of daily living - Alzheimer's Research UK
More on Great Minds
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What is the new approved treatment and why is it expensive?
New Alzheimer’s drug, donanemab – what is it and how does it work? - Alzheimer's Research UK