Increase in dementia More and more young people affected

Support relatives of young people with dementia

Although Alzheimer's disease usually affects people over the age of 65, certain forms of dementia occur as early as the age of 50 years. Even children can get sick. Most young dementia patients have a particularly difficult time because help offers are still scarce. Now there is an online guide to dementia in the younger age.

Number of dementia patients will continue to increase

According to the German Alzheimer's Association (DAlzG), about 1.6 million people in Germany today live with dementia. About 60 percent of them suffer from dementia of the type Alzheimer. But the number keeps rising. According to the experts, it will increase to three million by 2050, unless a breakthrough in therapy succeeds. More and more young people are affected. A new online guide now supports relatives of young people with dementia.

Although dementia primarily affects the elderly, more and more younger people are affected. Relatives of young people with dementia are particularly dependent on support. For them there is now a new online guide. (Image: JSB31 / fotolia.com)

Help for relatives of those affected

According to the DAlzG, around 80 percent of all dementia patients in Germany are cared for and accompanied by their relatives. For the helpers, this not only leads to financial losses, but sometimes also to health problems.

Care is a heavy burden financially, physically and mentally. Experts have long been calling for relatives of dementia patients to receive more support.

A new information offer under "www.ratgeber-junge-demenz.de" supports relatives of young people with dementia.

The online guide developed as part of the European project RHAPSODY is available free of charge on the DAlzG website.

Even younger people get sick

Dementia usually does not start until later in life. However, if a person becomes ill at a working age, this presents a special challenge for the family, writes the company in a statement.

The job must be abandoned, children must experience the slow loss of a parent and the whole life plan is questioned.

In the European project RHAPSODY (Research to Assess Policies and Strategies for Dementia in the Young), an online guide to dementia in younger age was developed in the form of an e-learning offer in three languages.

In particular, it should help relatives of those affected to shape their common life with the disease. The guidebook provides information on medical aspects, the treatment of patients, legal questions and support offers.

He also helps relatives to cope with the changes in their relationship with the sufferers while not forgetting their own care.

Multimedia information offer

"In Germany there are hardly any information offers on dementia in younger age", says Sabine Jansen, Managing Director of DAlzG.

"I am therefore pleased that, as a partner in the RHAPSODY project, we were able to contribute to the development of this multimedia information offering, which closes an important gap," said the expert.

"In addition, however, much more attention is needed on the topic and the development of new support services to improve the situation of young people with dementia and their families."

Education about the disease
Experts say dealing with and communicating with those involved requires a lot of attention, effort, calm and patience.

One should not overtax demented people and avoid stress as much as possible.

In addition, it is repeatedly pointed out that in dealing with dementia patients baby language should be avoided and those affected should be treated like adults.

Helpful is also a better education about the disease: Although dementia is not curable so far, but it can be delayed in the initial stage with drugs. Important is therefore an early diagnosis.

However, although early detection is one of the key points to counteract the disease, dementia is often detected too late because the warning signals are not detected.

Many people associate dementia with the fact that they can not remember, but other features can also be associated with the disease. For example, a change in behavior or emotional symptoms such as listlessness, aggressiveness or restlessness.

Trigger of dementia

While the exact causes of Alzheimer's are still unclear, scientists have identified a number of factors involved in the development and development of dementia.

British researchers recently reported that a third of dementia cases could be prevented by eliminating certain risk factors from childhood on. In a post by the BBC, the nine risk factors for dementia identified by the scientists were listed:

Hearing loss in middle age, lack of education in adolescence, smoking, depression, physical inactivity, social isolation, hypertension, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

Although the personal disease risk can be influenced to some degree, the experts acknowledged that the numbers should be interpreted "with caution" as it would not be possible to completely eliminate all risk factors.

In addition, other potential risk factors such as e.g. Alcohol consumption or sleep disorders have not been included. Nevertheless, the study shows that it is possible to combat incurable dementia. (Ad)