Emergency admissions from dementia care failures soaring

Tens of thousands of people with dementia are rushed to hospital each year because inadequate social care left them unprotected from infections.

To mark Dementia Action Week, an Alzheimer’s Society investigation found a 27 per cent rise between 2015-2019 of people with dementia sped to hospitals with avoidable emergencies. And in 2019, 65 per cent of all emergency admissions of people with dementia were for avoidable illnesses and injuries caused by failures in care.

To raise awareness, Alzheimer’s Society is releasing a hard-hitting TV ad which is calling on the government to ‘cure the care system’. Supported by billboard advertising, the heart-wrenching advert exposes the stark reality of being a dementia carer without adequate support.

In a supporting survey of unpaid dementia carers, 48 per cent reported that they had performed tasks they felt unqualified to carry out because of a lack of support, and as a result, they reported 72 per cent of people with dementia having medical issues at home. Furthermore, three in ten had experienced avoidable falls (29 per cent), one in six missed medication (16 per cent), one in five hurt themselves in the house (22 per cent) and one in nine (11 per cent) reported their loved one being rushed to hospital in an avoidable emergency.

While an increase in the number of people with dementia has contributed in part to the rise in avoidable admissions, much of the increase is thought to be due to cuts in spending on adult social care piling pressure on A&E and ambulance services.

Kate Lee, chief executive officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Lockdown has left people with dementia cut off from vital support and care. Interrupted routines, loneliness and isolation have contributed to rapid symptom progression, meaning there’s now more people than ever fighting for scarce dementia care. Without urgent action, avoidable hospital admissions will skyrocket, costing the NHS millions.”