Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia affect huge numbers of people - a third of all over-80s have some form of dementia, estimates the US CDC. This has two key effects. Firstly, Alzheimer's is a major killer in its own right - the CDC says it is the fifth-biggest killer of over-65s in America. Secondly, even where it is not directly responsible for death, dementia has a devastating impact on the quality of life for sufferers and their carers, and it also drives up care costs sharply. A 2014 report by the London School of Economics and King's College London put the total cost of dementia to the UK at £26.3bn a year.
This article was published online by Money Week on September 23, 2016
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Related publications
Dementia UK (2nd Edition), Martin Knapp et al, Alzheimer's Society, November 2014
Related links
Martin Knapp webpage
Wellbeing Programme webpage
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