Dementia report: GPs must become more aware of the prevalence of Alzheimer Disease among people in their late 40s and early 50s, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland has said.
The society will issue a report tomorrow which looks at the needs of younger people with dementia.
"The earlier people present to their GP and specialists with symptoms such as short term memory loss, problems concentrating and carrying out everyday tasks the more effective a diagnosis will be in terms of alleviating symptoms and planning for future care," Maurice O'Connell, the chief executive of the Alzheimer Society told The Irish Times.
It is currently estimated that 35,000 people in Ireland are affected by dementia with Alzheimer's Disease the most common form.
Approximately 10 per cent of sufferers have early onset dementia.
The report, on early onset dementia will be launched to coincide with World Alzheimer's Day tomorrow.
The problems associated with diagnosing early onset dementia include patients concealing their symptoms and doctors not suspecting dementia, sometimes leading to misdiagnosis and a delay of several years in an accurate diagnosis.
Another issue highlighted by the Alzheimer Society is the lack of services for sufferers of early onset dementia.
"As most sufferers of Alzheimer's Disease are 65 and over, there is a lack of appropriate services for this younger age group - not enough home care, no specialist respite care and no special provision for residential facilities," said Mr O'Connell.
"The problem is these patients are falling between the cracks - short of putting them into psychiatric hospitals on high doses of drugs. Our message is that alternatives to institutional care need to be created," said O'Connell.
The report, Early Onset Dementia: The needs of younger people with dementia in Ireland found that the most important support structures outside the family are home help and support and access to Alzheimer's day care centres.
Globally, 24 million people suffer from dementia and this figure is expected to double in the next 20 years.
World Alzheimer's Day will be marked in more than 60 countries with a campaign to improve awareness of and reduce stigma around dementia.
In Ireland, the initiatives of the Alzheimer Society include a diary of contributions from people about what dementia means to them.
People are invited to send their contributions to The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, 43 Northumberland Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin
See www.alzheimer.ie
The Alzheimer Society helpline is 1800 341 341
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