Dementia
Dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing. It is an umbrella term that can be caused by a number of diseases which, over time, damage the brain, typically leading to deterioration in both brain and bodily health. Dementia is life-shortening and, though there are limited pharmacological interventions, there is no cure.
The most common types of dementia are:
- Alzheimer's disease
- vascular dementia
- mixed dementia
- dementia with Lewy bodies
- frontotemporal dementia
Dementia affects an estimated 90,000 people in Scotland, an estimated 3,000 of whom are under 65. We know that approximately a third of people with dementia in Scotland are in residential care. Those residents make up about 65% at least of the overall care home population.
While clinical research continues in Scotland and globally to produce medicines to slow or modify symptoms of dementia, projected estimates show a 50% increase in the number of people with dementia over 65 over the next 20 years. Some estimates suggest 1 in 3 people born today will go on to develop dementia.
Dementia strategy for Scotland: Everyone’s Story
In order to deliver on the ambitions of our dementia communities, jointly with COSLA, we worked with people with lived experience and wider partners to deliver a new dementia strategy for Scotland (May 2023).
The strategy sets out the difference we want to make, prioritising how we improve delivery and impact, with a focus on enhancing community supports. This includes:
- recognising dementia as a condition of the brain that affects the whole person, while upscaling efforts to address its mental health and wellbeing impact
- ensuring services and supports are dementia-inclusive and create environments which enable people with dementia to live their best possible life
- deliver equity of access to information, treatment, care and support for people living with dementia
- uphold a person's human rights throughout their dementia journey
- ensure people are supported by a skilled, knowledgeable and trauma-informed workforce
This is a 10 year vision for change and the strategy was developed in collaboration with people with lived experience and wider partners. It will be delivered through rolling programme of two-year delivery plans informed by key partners and lived experience voices. We published the first of these two year delivery plans in February 2024.