England’s dementia diagnosis are among the highest in the world

England has one of the highest dementia diagnosis rates in the world, according to figures released by the NHS.

Laura Murphy, Associate Solicitor in our Wills, Probate & Inheritance team reports.

The number of people being diagnosed with dementia reached a record 487,432 in June.

The diagnosis rate of 65% is the highest since the start of the pandemic but still below the NHS target of diagnosing 66.7% of the total number of people believed to be living with a form of the disease.

This compares with other high-income countries across the world which typically are in the 20-50% range.

Dr Jeremy Isaacs, national clinical director for dementia, NHS England, said: Getting a diagnosis of dementia is the first step in supporting people, with a wide range of NHS services able to help.

“Common early symptoms of dementia include forgetting bits of information, saying the same thing repeatedly, struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word and being confused about time and place. Usually, these problems will be more obvious to the person’s family and friends than to the individual themselves.

“If you have noticed that someone has symptoms, please encourage them to visit their GP for an assessment – the sooner someone is seen the quicker the NHS can help.”

Sadly, dementia not only affects the sufferer; it can also have a devastating impact on their families.

As well as the emotional trauma, family members can be left with legal and practical difficulties such as enabling the sufferer to access their money and pay basic bills, or to make decisions on important financial matters. There may even be difficult choices about the kind of care the sufferer should receive.

Thousands of people protect themselves against such difficulties by drawing up Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA).  

An LPA is a legal document that you can register when you are fit and healthy, authorising someone you choose to make decisions on your behalf if you are no longer able to do so yourself at some point in the future.   

The property and finance LPA allows you to appoint someone to look after your financial affairs, and the personal welfare LPA lets you grant an attorney authority over such matters as health care and the kind of treatment you receive.    

They are easy to set up with the help of an expert solicitor and once registered, they provide you with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that if anything untoward should happen to impair your decision-making, your interests will be looked after by someone you trust.   

For more information about the issues raised in this article or if you would like more information about Lasting Powers of Attorney, please contact Laura Murphy or Michelle Forster on 01434 603656 or click here to send an email.