ONS data reveals 7.4% jump in number of deaths caused by dementia - Alzheimer’s Society comments
Gavin Terry, Policy Manager
| Alzheimer’s Society
The figures released today by the Office for National Statistics show there has been a 7.4% increase in deaths from all forms of dementia – with a 5.3% increase in deaths from vascular and unspecified dementia, and a 13.9% increase in deaths from Alzheimer‘s disease.
The Office for National Statistics released figures today revealing there were 533,253 deaths registered in England and Wales in 2017, a 1.6% increase from 2016. The figures released today show there has been a 7.4% increase in deaths from all forms of dementia – with a 5.3% increase in deaths from vascular and unspecified dementia, and a 13.9% increase in deaths from Alzheimer‘s disease.
The shocking increase in the number of deaths caused by dementia is a stark wake-up call for urgent action to tackle the biggest health crisis of our time. With one person developing dementia in the UK every three minutes, no way to cure or slow down the disease, and so many facing it alone, the Government, the NHS, the research community, and society needs to unite with us against this devastating condition now more than ever.
We are working hard to provide support to every single person living with dementia, and fund research to find a way to slow and eventually reverse this trend, but we need the NHS to prioritise dementia within its plan for new funding, and the Government’s upcoming plans for social care reform to place dementia care at its heart.
