Nine in 10 Brits underestimate impact of dementia

More than half of Britons do not know that dementia is a terminal illness and the majority underestimate the current and future impact of dementia in the UK, a new study co-led by UCL researchers has found. A survey for EMBED-Care, the UK's largest ever dementia end-of-life care research programme led by UCL and King's College London, found that only 42% of the British public are aware that dementia is a terminal illness. In a representative sample of over 2,000 people, the poll conducted by YouGov showed 94% of the public did not know that dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK - despite the fact that 900,000 people are affected - and 93% did not know that the number of people dying with dementia is projected to more than double by 2040 in England and Wales, to 219,409. Palliative care (care that aims to improve quality of life through addressing physical, psychosocial and family needs) can improve experiences and outcomes for people with dementia, for example by managing and treating common symptoms such as pain and agitation; symptoms that become increasingly common towards the end of life. Yet only half (51%) of Britons were found to understand that palliative care can benefit people who have dementia. Professor Katherine Sleeman (King's College London), co-investigator on the EMBED-Care programme, said: "Despite ongoing efforts to find a cure, people continue to die with and from dementia and it is imperative that evidence-based, high-quality palliative and end-of-life care is accessible to everyone who is affected, regardless of their wealth.