A NEW campaign has been launched to tackle the rise in dementia within south Asian communities.
A joint Public Health England and the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends initiative aims to raise awareness of dementia, dispel common myths associated with the disease and show how people can make a difference to those living with the condition.
Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain. There are more than 100 types of dementia and the most common is Alzheimer’s. It mainly affects (but is not restricted to) people over 65 years of age.
It is not, as is widely believed, a natural part of ageing. Of the 665,000 people in England and Wales living with dementia, it is estimated that approximately 25,000 are from ethnic minority communities. This figure is expected to rise significantly as the ethnic minority population ages.
By 2026, it is likely to have doubled to nearly 50,000 and by 2051 to over 172,000
