10,000 dementia deaths beyond coronavirus infections

Alzheimer’s Society is calling on the government to put people with dementia at heart of its lockdown solution, as the devastating impact of isolation on health is revealed in new research.

An investigation by the charity has found that lack of social contact is having a devastating impact on people with dementia. Its survey of care homes found that 79 per cent report that the lack of social contact is causing a deterioration in the health and wellbeing of their residents with dementia. This is often being seen by family members and carers who report that their loved ones in care homes are feeling confused and abandoned by the lack of visits, have stopped eating, lost the ability to speak and, in some cases, ‘disappeared’.

Evidence suggests that people with dementia are worst hit by coronavirus, with a quarter of those who’ve died having dementia, making it the most common pre-existing condition for deaths (along with diabetes). Aside from coronavirus, ‘unexplained excess’ deaths from dementia were 83 per cent higher in England in April, and 54 per cent higher in Wales, with nearly 10,000 deaths in total.

Alzheimer’s Society believes that the NHS was prioritised at the expense of the care sector and has called for social care to be put on equal footing. In care homes, testing was supplied too late and is still not at sufficient levels in care homes and in the community, 62 per cent of care homes were recently found still not to have had any staff tested.

The charity is calling on the government to prioritise safe social contact for care home residents as a health emergency by: issuing guidance for care homes on the importance of social contact; ensuring enough personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff and visitors to allow social contact safely; and placing family carers of people with dementia first on the list to get antibody tests.

Alzheimer’s Society is additionally calling on the government to set up a Dementia and Coronavirus Taskforce which can guarantee the safety of people with dementia through any easing of the lockdown and in case of a second spike.

Kate Lee, CEO at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It’s horrendous that people with dementia have been dying in their thousands, worst hit by coronavirus. We’ve already seen the devastating effect of coronavirus on people with dementia who catch it, but our survey reveals that the threat of the virus extends far beyond that. We have to stem the dreadful loss of life for those who were neglected at the start of this crisis - with a threadbare social care system already on its knees, ill-equipped to protect them.

“Through Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Connect support line, we’ve heard from people up and down the country who are watching on, helpless, as their loved ones in care homes lose their skills and memories at a terrifying rate, despite care home staff doing incredible work with the resources they have. People affected by dementia have had their worlds turned upside down, and our frontline team are needed now more than ever. We’re facing a loss in income of up to £45 million and we’re calling on the public’s support to help us make sure no-one affected by dementia is left to face this alone.”