More than one in three people in Northern Ireland who notice symptoms of dementia in themselves or a loved one, wait more than a month before speaking up, a new survey suggests.
The study, for the Alzheimer’s Society to mark the start of Dementia Action Week today, found people often suffer in silence or confuse early symptoms with old age.
The charity talked to people worried that they, or a loved one, might have dementia, as well as those with a diagnosis and carers.
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While 38% of people in Northern Ireland admitted waiting over a month to voice their concerns, 17% left it even longer – more than six months – before speaking to a medical professional.
Just 16% brought up the issue straight away, while 3% still haven’t raised their worries after spotting the first symptom.
This delay is having a potentially devastating impact on how soon people are able to get help and has prompted Barry Smyth, Area Manager for Alzheimer’s Society in Northern Ireland to warn: “We can’t continue to avoid the ‘d’ word – we need to face dementia head on.”
The charity’s survey of more than 1,100 people found that confusion between dementia symptoms and normal ageing was the top reason people stayed silent (64%), followed by not wanting to worry their loved one (33%), and fears of how their relationships might change (16%).
Worryingly, the survey also revealed there is still a fear of stigma attached to the condition, with 44% saying they were scared people would speak down to them or their loved one after they were diagnosed, or treat them like a child.
In the UK, one person develops dementia every three minutes – that means that by 2040, 1.6m people will be living with the condition. There are currently 900,000 in the UK, including 22,000 in Northern Ireland, with that figure predicted to increase to 27,000 by 2025.
The Alzheimer’s Society has launched a new campaign – It’s not called getting old, it’s called getting ill – to encourage people to seek support in getting a diagnosis.
Dementia diagnosis rates hit a five-year low during the Covid pandemic, and have stagnated ever since – leaving tens of thousands of people living with undiagnosed dementia.
Timely diagnosis is crucial to manage symptoms and avoid ending up in crisis. The breakthrough Alzheimer’s drugs lecanemab, which has shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by 25%, and donanemab by 36%, rely on diagnosing people with dementia as early as possible.
Barry Smyth added: “As soon as you realise something is not right, come to Alzheimer’s Society - you can use our symptoms checklist to help have that all-important first chat with your GP.
“At Alzheimer’s Society we’re dedicated to providing help and hope to everyone affected by dementia – 9 in 10 people told us they benefited from getting a diagnosis, helping them access the treatments, support and advice a diagnosis unlocks.
“Alzheimer’s Society services were used over 4.5 million times last year, but we know there are more people out there who need us and don’t know where to turn.”
This Dementia Action Week, Alzheimer’s Society is urging anyone worried about themselves or someone they love to take the first step and contact the charity for support. Visit alzheimers.org.uk/memoryloss or call 0333 150 3456.
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