Canberra, 12 September (IANS). Dementia, the dementia, is scaring Australia. A report was released on Friday, according to which more than 10 lakh Australians are expected to suffer dementia by 2065.
According to the updated report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the number of dementia in Australia will increase considerably in the next two decades. While its number of patients was 425,000 in 2024, it is estimated that in 2065 it will increase to 1.1 million.
The number of women currently suffering from dementia is more than men. It is predicted that 266,000 women and 159,000 men will be vulnerable in 2024. According to the report, this number may increase by 2065, in which the estimated number of women can be 662,000 and the men’s 390,000.
The report shows a very dangerous picture about deaths in Australia. It is said that dementia was the main cause of death in 2023. This led to the lives of about 17,400 people, including 10,900 women and 6,500 men. All of them were struggling with any troubles like Alzheimer’s, Vascular dementia, unpacened (unspecified) dementia and levy body dementia.
‘Dementia Australia’ CEO Tanya Buchanan said that the report released before the dementia Action Week on September 15-21 highlights dementia’s widespread threat to Australian families.
According to the Xinhua news agency, the important role of caretakers has been highlighted in the report. It was reported that in 2022, those who took care of dementia victims dedicated about 60 hours a week.
Dementia is not a single disease, but a broad term of a group of symptoms. This creates problems related to memory, thinking, logic, decisions and behavior that negatively affect daily life. This is caused by diseases that damage brain cells, and Alzheimer’s is the most common cause. Although weakening memory is a common symptom, many have difficulty in speaking, then some of the behavior suddenly changes. This leads to problems in completing daily tasks. Dementia is not a common part of aging, although it is more common in older people.
About 5 to 8 percent of people over the age of 65 suffer from some kind of dementia, and after this age the number doubles every five years. It is estimated that about half of the age of 85 years and above suffers dementia.
-IANS
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