Millions of Germans suffer from dementia

Alzheimer's Day: Millions of Germans suffer from dementia

09/18/2014

Almost one and a half million people in Germany suffer from dementia. The health care system is not prepared to care for more and more people who lose their memory. This is what a renowned health researcher says in an interview on the occasion of the upcoming World Alzheimer's Day.

Number of dementia patients will double by 2050
According to the German Alzheimer's Association, around 1.47 million people in Germany suffer from dementia. According to estimates, the number will even double by 2050. The majority of dementia patients are cared for at home. As the renowned health researcher Prof. Dr. med. Wolfgang Hoffmann of the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald in an interview now said, the nursing relatives must be given more attention. The interview with the news agency dpa took place on the occasion of the World Alzheimer's Day. On this day of action, which takes place every year since 21 September 1994, a variety of activities are carried out around the world to raise public awareness of the disease.

Great challenge for society
When asked whether the existing health care system in Germany can provide care for up to three million people in need of care in the future, Hoffmann answered that this has not been prepared for such years of care for dementia patients. He mean: „The care aspect for the people suffering from the incurable disease is underestimated. We have to see that there is a strong and stable network of care facilities.“ In addition to the home environment, care facilities and care services, this also applies to occupational therapy, physiotherapy, family doctor and pharmacist. So far, this network-like, regional supply structure in the German health care system is not well represented. The company is facing a great challenge, according to the expert. „We have to learn Dementisch.“

Most people with dementia are cared for at home
Hoffmann confirmed that most people with dementia are cared for at home by relatives. This was what both the victims and their families wanted. From a medical point of view, it is important that people with dementia stay in their familiar environment. Often give it „Complications and worsening of the condition when taken out of their familiar environment.“ Domestic care is also useful for health economic reasons. For example, a full-time job in a nursing home is not only much more expensive, it also lacks nurses. „However, we are not concerned with preventing admission to the nursing home. In certain cases, it is exactly the right solution“, so Hoffmann. In other countries, one tries to respond to the rising costs of dementia with grants. Just a few months ago, it was reported that the British government is providing around 20 million euros to help develop an effective drug to combat widespread disease, thereby reducing its economic costs.

Supply mechanisms for people with dementia
Hoffmann, who is studying the care mechanisms for people with dementia in home care in a study, said that those affected need careful examination and reliable differential diagnosis first, followed by reasonable medication. „As a rule, those affected have other illnesses at the same time, which also have to be treated. These drugs can interact with the drugs for dementia“, explained the expert. Then it is crucial how the family caregivers go, whether they need help and if so, which, and whether there is a stable social environment. In addition, aspects of social law, such as the clarification of the level of care or the question of who bears the costs of housing conversion, need to be clarified.

Relatives play a key role in caring
On the question of how the relatives who play the key role in home care can be supported, Hoffmann explained: „We need to pay more attention to the loved one, and without his support, home care for people with dementia will not work.“ If these structures break away, often only the instruction in special nursing homes remain. Therefore, it is crucial in the interests of those affected and relatives to stabilize the situation at home as long as possible. „We must recognize early on whether and when relatives reach their limits after all-round care in order to quickly establish support structures“, so Hoffmann. „Caring relatives often conceal their burdens because they find it embarrassing and inappropriate to talk about them.“ (Ad)