World Alzheimer’s Month: Portraits of people with dementia around the world
Leah Beach shines a light on the stigma and isolation people living with dementia face
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Dementia is a global health crisis and one of the leading causes of death. Fifty million people live with dementia worldwide, with someone developing the condition every three seconds.
Globally, diagnosis rates are low, research is underfunded and people are receiving substandard or no care, with stigma in many communities remaining rife. In some countries, there’s not even a word for dementia.
Without action the world is woefully unprepared for the dementia crisis. This World Alzheimer’s Month, leaders around the world are being urged to take urgent action on dementia and unite to ensure better diagnosis, care and awareness.
The Alzheimer's Society is a founding member of the Global Alzheimer’s and Dementia Action Alliance, a coalition of NGOs seeking to champion global action on dementia.
Through collaboration with international NGO partners, dementia is starting to be recognised as a core development issue.
International civil society has a key role to play in tackling the dementia crisis, taking action with global governments to ensure that people with dementia are not left behind.
Global dementia key facts and figures:
1. Every three seconds someone in the world develops dementia
2. 50 million people live with dementia worldwide
3. Dementia is now a $1 trillion disease
4. The world’s economy is set to lose $2 trillion annually by 2030 unless dementia is tackled
5. More than half of people living with dementia worldwide (58 per cent) live in low and middle income countries. In some of these countries there isn’t even a word for dementia
6. The number of people with dementia is projected to almost triple to 131.5 million by 2050
7. Dementia is one of the top 5 causes of death worldwide
8. An average of three-quarters of people with dementia have not received a diagnosis worldwide
9. 82 billion informal care hours (care provided by loved ones) are provided annually to people with dementia. That’s the equivalent of more than 40 million full-time workers
10. Women contribute 58 billion (71 per cent) of informal care hours to people living with dementia
11. Dementia is a global women’s health, social care and rights issue that can no longer be ignored
12. There are now 40 countries signed up to the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme and committed to tackling stigma and upholding the rights of people with dementia
These images were commissioned by the Alzheimer's Society
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments