There is no doubt there is an enormous economic cost to dementia, not only to the person diagnosed, but also to their care partners, families and support persons (if they are lucky enough to have any), and to the health care sector and our governments. Our latest graphic clearly highlights this, and is based on data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) website published last year.
Apart from the economic cost of dementia, there is a significant human cost to this disease, and you can find many blogs, published journal articles, media stories (print and digital) and books on this, written by professionals, academics, care partners and yes, even many people with dementia.
Too often, the person is not seen, and only the symptoms are. Our deficits are focused on, and we don't receive appropriate disability support nor recognition for the assets we have retained. These are often completely ignored. It is why we also campaign globally for our human rights for better support and services. We must also be supported to live more positively with dementia, from the time of diagnosis.
One of DAI's goal is to empower other people with dementia to live more positively with it, and as such, try and reduce some of the human cost of dementia. In doing this, we promote engagement, peer-to-peer support and participation at events and educational webinars, albeit mostly online, for our members and also for the wider dementia community.
Most of our members, when they first join DAI have been advised to get their end of life affairs in order, and often, even to choose a respite day care centre and nursing home. When that happens, most people (and our families) spiral into a dark and depressing place, and become fearful and afraid of what lies ahead.
Jerry Wylie, our Vice Chair made a plea on Facebook on March 31, 1:30 PM, as follows:
"Will you take the time to read this to the end? It’s is not about me and never will be.... I wake up every day praying, that what I managed to do yesterday might make a difference in the “lived experience” for the “people” being diagnosed with dementia today and tomorrow.
Globally there is:
- 1 diagnosis Every 3 seconds
- 1,200 “people” diagnosed Every hour
- 28,800 “people” diagnosed Every Day
- 876,000 “people” diagnosed Every Month
- 10,512,000 million “people” diagnosed Every Year
Unfortunately, “people”, society and governments seem callous and unwilling to support simple, cost effective improvements to our “lived experience”.
They prefer spending Billions upon Billions every year on finding a magic cure, whilst the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world have abandoned research due to their failure to get positive results.
In the meantime, nearly nothing beyond lip service is being done or invested in what actually helps us that are diagnosed.
The result is Needless & Unnecessary suffering for countless millions of “people”.
Dementia Alliance International “goes beyond lip service” and is changing “peoples” lived experience every single day but, nobody seems to want to help us financially. I guess it’s because we all have Dementia?
I imagine nearly every person who took the time to read this post can afford to donate “$10.00 A MONTH” so we can reach and offer weekly peer to peer support to the 10,500,000 million “people” diagnosed every year.
Here is your opportunity to help us help these people! Please click on this link and give as generously as you may. If you don’t, who will? $10.00 per month."